Ragusa

Searching for colour

The interior of the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is a single large oval-shaped room.
The Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista most likely took inspiration for its floor plan from the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) in Noto.
The architect friar had two entrances built, one from Piazza Pola and the other directly from the convent for access by the nuns. As you enter the church you are surprised and overwhelmed by its very high ceiling, an effect achieved thanks to the majestic dome and the four windows that fill the space with light.
Ingresso verso l’altare foto dal basso verso l’alto della cupola
As for the walls, they were left white with some golden stucco decoration.
This pallor, however, is immediately broken up by four colourful altars placed along the walls, the painting on the high altar and the vault fresco.

zoom affresco della volta
affresco della volta

The painting with the Holy Family was created by painter Matteo Battaglia from Ragusa and the fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict is the work of Sebastiano Lo Monaco, an artist from Catania.
To add colour to the room, and to create a strong contrast with the white walls, black pietra pece was used for the floor, which features a white limestone decoration.
uno degli altari sulle pareti pavimento

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

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

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata