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 museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

Feast days

Norman apses

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A hall for the feasts

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church