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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

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

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A talking palace

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

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

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces