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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

Norman apses

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

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Prominent façade

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