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 miniature city

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A city in colour

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The theatre of taste

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

One city, two sites