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 long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

Prominent façade

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Wonderful quick decorations