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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

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

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

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

One city, two sites

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

Searching for colour

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life