Ragusa

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

taste
A freshwater spring

Not far from the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is Porta Walter. It was built in medieval times and allowed people to leave the city and visit the lush green valley of Santa Domenica.
From here they would reach a spring where inhabitants rushed to quench their thirst and collect as much water as possible, especially on long, sweltering summer days!

sight
A question of perspective!

Depending on the time of day, the levels of the façade and its various elements create a unique and fascinating combination of light effects.
The plays of light and shadow change from hour to hour.
The endless chiaroscuro effects uncover and hide new details each time.

touch
Such rich materials!

The church brings out the diversity of the materials and the infinite possibilities for their use. As a matter of fact, the glass used in the large windows of the vault was also used to decorate the altars with a process that imitates marble.
Used for the worshippers’ seating, wood also proves to be an excellent material for beautiful wooden sculptures such as the Madonna near the altar.
madonna in legno altare

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

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

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

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

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A prominent church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor