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 majestic and luminous church

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

The two churches

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life