Ragusa

Searching for colour

The interior of the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is a single large oval-shaped room.
The Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista most likely took inspiration for its floor plan from the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) in Noto.
The architect friar had two entrances built, one from Piazza Pola and the other directly from the convent for access by the nuns. As you enter the church you are surprised and overwhelmed by its very high ceiling, an effect achieved thanks to the majestic dome and the four windows that fill the space with light.
Ingresso verso l’altare foto dal basso verso l’alto della cupola
As for the walls, they were left white with some golden stucco decoration.
This pallor, however, is immediately broken up by four colourful altars placed along the walls, the painting on the high altar and the vault fresco.

zoom affresco della volta
affresco della volta

The painting with the Holy Family was created by painter Matteo Battaglia from Ragusa and the fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict is the work of Sebastiano Lo Monaco, an artist from Catania.
To add colour to the room, and to create a strong contrast with the white walls, black pietra pece was used for the floor, which features a white limestone decoration.
uno degli altari sulle pareti pavimento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city