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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

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

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

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso