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 St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

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

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

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

Between white and black

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

Feast days

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo