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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

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

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

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

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

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

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

A miniature city

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

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

Feast days

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica