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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

Discovering the mother church

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

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

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

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

A half-Baroque church

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

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

Feast days

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

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

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara