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

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

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

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

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

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

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

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition