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 new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Feast days

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A hall for the feasts

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

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

Prominent façade

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe