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 Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

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

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The church of Carmine

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

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The wall comes to life

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade