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

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

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

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

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

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

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

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

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

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches