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

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A colourful floor

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

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

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts