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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

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

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

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

Some prestigious works

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata