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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

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

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

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

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The internal colours

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

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

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

Some masterpieces

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

A majestic and luminous church

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

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

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre