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 Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

Feast days

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

One city, three sites

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca