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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

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

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

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

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The disastrous earthquake

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras