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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

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

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

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

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

One city, two sites

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor