Ragusa

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

taste
A freshwater spring

Not far from the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is Porta Walter. It was built in medieval times and allowed people to leave the city and visit the lush green valley of Santa Domenica.
From here they would reach a spring where inhabitants rushed to quench their thirst and collect as much water as possible, especially on long, sweltering summer days!

sight
A question of perspective!

Depending on the time of day, the levels of the façade and its various elements create a unique and fascinating combination of light effects.
The plays of light and shadow change from hour to hour.
The endless chiaroscuro effects uncover and hide new details each time.

touch
Such rich materials!

The church brings out the diversity of the materials and the infinite possibilities for their use. As a matter of fact, the glass used in the large windows of the vault was also used to decorate the altars with a process that imitates marble.
Used for the worshippers’ seating, wood also proves to be an excellent material for beautiful wooden sculptures such as the Madonna near the altar.
madonna in legno altare

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

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

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The two churches

A hall for the feasts