Ragusa

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Nature and architecture blend perfectly in Ragusa. Construction adapted to the environment in a surprising way. It was the result of careful planning involving many architects, engineers and foremen.
Each made a valuable contribution, though unfortunately it is not always possible to acknowledge everyone who worked on the project (such as the workers). Fortunately this is not the case for the “maestro of the Val di Noto”, Rosario Gagliardi.
He was perhaps the most creative 18th-century Sicilian architect, and was certainly the most innovative. He proposed a Baroque style that started with the basic rules then became something more beautiful and newer. His designs always took into account the context of the town, where it was and what was around it.foto facciata duomo This way, the buildings of the towns he built fit perfectly into the space.
He invented the tower façade, a façade that ended with a tower and bells, like the cathedral of San Giorgio (St. George) in Ragusa Ibla.
In his eyes, architecture was not only a useful discipline for constructing and designing a building, it also had to be able to arouse emotion. For this reason he placed sculptural decorations on the walls that added life and expression to his façades.
Unfortunately, not all of his ideas could be executed; Gagliardi had to be mindful of the economic factor and the money at his disposal.This was not, however, an obstacle to his imagination. Using his skill, the architect always managed to work and combine economic and aesthetic factors.

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

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

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

One city, two sites

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli