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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

A talking palace

The two churches

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

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

Feast days

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

A miniature city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

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

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo