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 about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A colourful floor

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day