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 the Annunciation

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

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

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

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

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

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

A new site for a new church

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

One city, three sites

A prominent church

One city, two sites

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

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

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

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts