Ragusa

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

hearing
Angelic song

On 24 June 1858 the church resounded with festivities.
The great organ was inaugurated, with more than three thousand pipes and a gigantic wooden cantoria (a structure built to house the choir). We can only imagine the sweet sound that accompanied that moment.
The organ still works today and can be found in the right chapel before the transept, while the cantoria was placed above the main portal.
For centuries, music and angelic songs have been an integral part of liturgical functions.
foto organo foto organo nella prima cappella di destra del transetto

touch
Pietra pece, a special stone

The dark, petroleum-infused pietra pece of the floor smells like petrol and leaves a coat of grease on your fingers like oil!
This unique rock is widely used because its particular composition can make a room resistant to humidity.

sight
Diversity makes everything more special

The two-tone interior makes the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) wonderful. The white walls combined with the black floor enhances both elements and adds liveliness to the environment.
Once inside the church of St. John the Baptist, our sense of sight is also stimulated by the colourful altars that crowd the side naves.
Red, green, white, gold, and even the black of the balustrades stimulate the visitor’s eye.

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

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

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

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

The two churches

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

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

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

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours