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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

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

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

A new site for a new church

Feast days

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

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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