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 Giovanni Evangelista

The church of Carmine

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

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

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

The wall comes to life