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 wall comes to life

A prominent church

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

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

The two churches

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

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites