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

Norman apses

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

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

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

The internal colours

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

Many owners, one palace

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

A talking palace

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony