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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

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

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

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

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci