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 city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

A miniature city

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

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

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Between white and black

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

The city of museums

Prominent façade

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase