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 miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

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

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

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

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

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A symbol for the town

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli