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 story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

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

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

A triumph of colour

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

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

A prominent church

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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