Ragusa

Searching for colour

The interior of the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is a single large oval-shaped room.
The Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista most likely took inspiration for its floor plan from the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) in Noto.
The architect friar had two entrances built, one from Piazza Pola and the other directly from the convent for access by the nuns. As you enter the church you are surprised and overwhelmed by its very high ceiling, an effect achieved thanks to the majestic dome and the four windows that fill the space with light.
Ingresso verso l’altare foto dal basso verso l’alto della cupola
As for the walls, they were left white with some golden stucco decoration.
This pallor, however, is immediately broken up by four colourful altars placed along the walls, the painting on the high altar and the vault fresco.

zoom affresco della volta
affresco della volta

The painting with the Holy Family was created by painter Matteo Battaglia from Ragusa and the fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict is the work of Sebastiano Lo Monaco, an artist from Catania.
To add colour to the room, and to create a strong contrast with the white walls, black pietra pece was used for the floor, which features a white limestone decoration.
uno degli altari sulle pareti pavimento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

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

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

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

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

One city, two sites

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

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

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

A city in colour