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

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

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

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

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

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The two churches

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

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