Ragusa

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

hearing
Angelic song

On 24 June 1858 the church resounded with festivities.
The great organ was inaugurated, with more than three thousand pipes and a gigantic wooden cantoria (a structure built to house the choir). We can only imagine the sweet sound that accompanied that moment.
The organ still works today and can be found in the right chapel before the transept, while the cantoria was placed above the main portal.
For centuries, music and angelic songs have been an integral part of liturgical functions.
foto organo foto organo nella prima cappella di destra del transetto

touch
Pietra pece, a special stone

The dark, petroleum-infused pietra pece of the floor smells like petrol and leaves a coat of grease on your fingers like oil!
This unique rock is widely used because its particular composition can make a room resistant to humidity.

sight
Diversity makes everything more special

The two-tone interior makes the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) wonderful. The white walls combined with the black floor enhances both elements and adds liveliness to the environment.
Once inside the church of St. John the Baptist, our sense of sight is also stimulated by the colourful altars that crowd the side naves.
Red, green, white, gold, and even the black of the balustrades stimulate the visitor’s eye.

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara