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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A prominent church

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

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The chocolate of Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

Feast days

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers