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

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

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

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

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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 Santa Maria del Carmelo

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

The two churches

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites