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

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

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

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

Some prestigious works

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

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

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

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

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

Prominent façade

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

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea