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

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

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

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A feast only for Scicli

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

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

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

One city, three sites

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces