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 colourful floor

A prominent church

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

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

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

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

The city of museums

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

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

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

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

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

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers