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

Between white and black

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!