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 colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

A miniature city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

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

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

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

A new site for a new church

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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