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

A colourful floor

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

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

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

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

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

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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