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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

The church of Carmine

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

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts