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 feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The theatre of taste

The two churches

One city, two sites

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

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

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

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

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

A talking palace

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

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour