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

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The theatre of taste

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

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

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

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

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

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