Monastero dei Benedettini Tours and Tickets

Only A few minutes walk from the Cathedral of Catania there is the Church of San Benedetto, right in the middle of the famous baroque street called Via Crociferi. The church is considered a small Sicilian Sistine chapel because of the richness of its frescoes realized by Giovanni Tuccari, a painter from Messina, in the 18th century. But the church is not just a triumph of baroque painting, there is also a large choir that looks like a Spanish galleon, a huge and beautiful reminder of the secluded life of the cloistered nuns that still live here, and the famous Angels' staircaise made of marble and stucco. The Church of San Benedetto is also famous because it was part of the set for "Storia di una Capinera" by Franco Zeffirelli, a movie from the short story by Giovanni Verga.For the city of Catania it is a symbol of religious faith that reaches its peak during the festivities of Sant'Agata when the Benedictine nuns sing, for the patron saint, from the central gate.

10 minutes walk from the Cathedral square you find the  Monastery of San Nicolò l'Arena, a late baroque monument and one of the biggest Benedictine monastery in Europe. The construction of the building started in 1500 and has continued until today. It is an example of architectonical integration of different styles through different epochs.  It leads the visitors through the most important spaces of the Monastery: the two cloisters, the cellars of the XVI century today transformed into the faculty library, the roman domus (house), the 'Night Choir' with its 'balcony' on the main altar of San Nicolò l'Arena Church, the Novices Garden and the kitchen and cellars of the XVIII century realised by the architect Vaccarini.The monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It hosts the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania.