Ragusa

One city, two sites

The town of Ragusa Ibla is built across three different hilly areas separated by a deep valley.
The town is the union of Ibla and Ragusa: Ibla was founded by the Sicels, before the birth of Christ. Ragusa, on the other hand, has much less ancient origins and is linked to the tragic earthquake.foto città nel complesso Following the earthquake, when deciding where to rebuild the town, no agreement could be reached.
The population was divided into two factions: the sangiorgiari suggested the old site; the sangiovannari sought to rebuild it elsewhere.
The former were aristocrats of very old lineage who lived in the parish of San Giorgio (St. George); the Sangiovannari, on the other hand, who lived outside the walls in the district of San Giovanni (St. John), were made up of the poor and the nouveau riche. Neither side wanted to give in, so two independent towns were built. foto IblaIbla was rebuilt on a lower hill than Ragusa and the old road layout was maintained.
Ragusa was planned perfectly with a system of roads that crossed at right angles.
Though rebuilt independently and autonomously from one another, Ragusa and Ibla share the style of Baroque art.
Over time the clear division was lost and the inhabitants began to live in the intermediate space, but it was not until 1926 that Ibla and Ragusa were reunited.foto ragusa

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

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

Discovering the mother church

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

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

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

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara