Ragusa

City and nature

Surrounded by a lush chain of hills located in the southern part of the Hyblaean Mountains and crossed by the river Irminio, the city of Ragusa sits on three hilly areas separated by a deep valley. It originated from the union of Ibla, an ancient city, and Ragusa.Ragusa panoramica
Ibla was founded by the Sicel population. Ragusa, on the other hand, has much less ancient origins and was built after the earthquake of 1693.
The inhabitants were unable to agree on the city’s reconstruction and divided themselves into two factions : the sangiorgiani, which included aristocratic families linked to the parish of San Giorgio, who hoped to rebuild on the old site; and the sangiovannari, represented by more modest classes who lived near the parish of San Giorgio outside the walls, who intended for it to be rebuilt on another site. It was decided, therefore, to build a city divided into two parts: Ibla was rebuilt on a lower hill, maintaining the former road organisation, while Ragusa was designed from scratch with a system of orthogonal roads.
Over time the initial disagreements dissipated and the inhabitants began to live in the intermediate space, but it was not until 1926 that the reunification of Ibla and Ragusa took place.
The modern city is divided into two parts and to reach it you have to go through the Valle dei Ponti (Valley of Bridges), a deep fissure that connects the two parts of the city through four tall bridges that offer an absolutely spectacular view.

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

One city, three sites

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

The Benedictines’ library

The art of maiolica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

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

The interior of the church: space and colour

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

Luminous sacred spaces

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

The casket of austerity under the great dome

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The Church of St. Benedict

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

A stone garden

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The Palazzo dei due mori

The interior and works of art

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The Church of St. Francis

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

The church and the college

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

Religious architecture

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The Franciscan convent

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

The church and the monastery

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The works in the church

Art in the cathedral

The articulated interior spaces

The new roads of the city

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The city within the city

City and nature

The Church of Madonna della Stella

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

A casket of precious works

A story of rebirth

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

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

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

Reconstruction after the earthquake

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

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

The expansion of space and changing reality

A heritage of votive works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

The palace, the town, the church

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

The two churches

The eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city palace

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

St. Agatha and the candelore

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

The Church of St. Paul

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano