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 Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

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

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

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

The theatre of taste

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The city of museums

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

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

Prominent façade

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces