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 story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

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

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A hall for the feasts

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano