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

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A new site for a new city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The church of Carmine

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

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

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

Discovering the mother church

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

The internal colours

Prominent façade

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!