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

Prominent façade

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

Feast days

A new site for a new city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

A prominent church