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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

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

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

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

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

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