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

The Staircase of Angels

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The two churches

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

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

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso