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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

Norman apses

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

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

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

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

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

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

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

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

A city in colour

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom