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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The two churches

The internal colours

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

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

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations