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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The city of museums

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

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

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

Feast days

A prominent church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites