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

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

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

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

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

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

A talking palace

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica