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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

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

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Prominent façade

The internal colours

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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