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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

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

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

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

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Discovering the mother church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea