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 senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

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 staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

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

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata