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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

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

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Searching for colour

Between white and black

Feast days

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo