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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

The wall comes to life

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

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

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

Feast days

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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