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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Some masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums