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 prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

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

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

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

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

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

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

A miniature city

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

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

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania