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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

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

Some prestigious works

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

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

The city of museums

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

A colourful floor

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces