Chiesa di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria

The story

The church was built in the last third of the 16th century for the Dominican nunnery that filled the whole block between Piazza Bellini and Piazza Pretoria. The facade is still Renaissance; the interior, decorated in the 17th and 18th centuries, is one of the richest in Sicilian Baroque, with inlaid marble, stucco and frescoes. The dome was frescoed by Vito D’Anna in the mid 18th century.

The nuns lived here in enclosure until 2014. After they left, the complex was opened to the public: cloister, cells, kitchens, rooftop terraces and the pastry shop that revived the convent’s recipes.

Why it is worth it

The church is sumptuous, but the surprise is the monastery: you walk in the cloister with its fountain, enter the cells, then climb to the terraces and find yourself level with the domes of the Martorana and San Cataldo, with Piazza Pretoria below. Before leaving, stop at the pastry shop and try something made to the nuns’ recipes.