Sicily

Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and among the largest in Europe. Construction began in 1875 under architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile and was completed by his son Ernesto after his father’s death, finally opening to the public in 1897. On a walking tour of Palermo, pilgrims often pause here to admire

Dedicated to Santa Maria la Nuova, this exquisite cathedral was built in the 12th century by order of King William II of Sicily. It stands as one of the greatest surviving examples of Norman architecture in Sicily and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The cathedral’s interior walls are covered in bright golden mosaics depicting scenes

The Jesuit Church of the Gesù, also known as Santa Maria di Gesù or Casa Professa, was built shortly after the Jesuits arrived in Palermo in 1549. Construction began in the late 16th century based on a design by the Jesuit architect Giovanni Tristano, adjacent to the order’s professed house. True to St. Ignatius’s teaching

The Cathedral of Siracusa, dedicated to the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, stands on the island of Ortigia, the cultural and historical heart of the city. The cathedral was built directly over the remains of an ancient Greek temple to Athena, its columns still visible incorporated into the structure’s walls. This layering of Greek, Roman,

The Catacombs of St. John in Siracusa contain some 20,000 early Christian tombs, making them one of the most extensive underground burial sites in Sicily. Tradition holds that St. Paul preached here during his brief stay in Siracusa on his final journey to Rome, as recorded in Acts 28:11-13. Within the catacombs, a small chapel