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

Discovering the mother church

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

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

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

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords