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 San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The two churches

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

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Many owners, one palace

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

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

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

The internal colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums