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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra