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 wall comes to life

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

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

Feast days

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city