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 Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

A miniature city

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

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

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library