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 symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara