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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

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

Many owners, one palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom