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 Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some masterpieces

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

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

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

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

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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