Ragusa

One city, two sites

The town of Ragusa Ibla is built across three different hilly areas separated by a deep valley.
The town is the union of Ibla and Ragusa: Ibla was founded by the Sicels, before the birth of Christ. Ragusa, on the other hand, has much less ancient origins and is linked to the tragic earthquake.foto città nel complesso Following the earthquake, when deciding where to rebuild the town, no agreement could be reached.
The population was divided into two factions: the sangiorgiari suggested the old site; the sangiovannari sought to rebuild it elsewhere.
The former were aristocrats of very old lineage who lived in the parish of San Giorgio (St. George); the Sangiovannari, on the other hand, who lived outside the walls in the district of San Giovanni (St. John), were made up of the poor and the nouveau riche. Neither side wanted to give in, so two independent towns were built. foto IblaIbla was rebuilt on a lower hill than Ragusa and the old road layout was maintained.
Ragusa was planned perfectly with a system of roads that crossed at right angles.
Though rebuilt independently and autonomously from one another, Ragusa and Ibla share the style of Baroque art.
Over time the clear division was lost and the inhabitants began to live in the intermediate space, but it was not until 1926 that Ibla and Ragusa were reunited.foto ragusa

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

Norman apses

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A hall for the feasts

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

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

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

One city, two sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

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