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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

One city, two sites

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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 Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers