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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

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

Some masterpieces

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

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

Between white and black

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

A miniature city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day