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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

The internal colours

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo