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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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 Giuseppe

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

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

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

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The two churches

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania