Ragusa

City and nature

Surrounded by a lush chain of hills located in the southern part of the Hyblaean Mountains and crossed by the river Irminio, the city of Ragusa sits on three hilly areas separated by a deep valley. It originated from the union of Ibla, an ancient city, and Ragusa.Ragusa panoramica
Ibla was founded by the Sicel population. Ragusa, on the other hand, has much less ancient origins and was built after the earthquake of 1693.
The inhabitants were unable to agree on the city’s reconstruction and divided themselves into two factions : the sangiorgiani, which included aristocratic families linked to the parish of San Giorgio, who hoped to rebuild on the old site; and the sangiovannari, represented by more modest classes who lived near the parish of San Giorgio outside the walls, who intended for it to be rebuilt on another site. It was decided, therefore, to build a city divided into two parts: Ibla was rebuilt on a lower hill, maintaining the former road organisation, while Ragusa was designed from scratch with a system of orthogonal roads.
Over time the initial disagreements dissipated and the inhabitants began to live in the intermediate space, but it was not until 1926 that the reunification of Ibla and Ragusa took place.
The modern city is divided into two parts and to reach it you have to go through the Valle dei Ponti (Valley of Bridges), a deep fissure that connects the two parts of the city through four tall bridges that offer an absolutely spectacular view.

The interiors: diffused light and Byzantine relics

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

Expanded spaces, stucco and colourful lights

The smallest Greek theatre in the world

The city of Modica, a balance between nature and urbanism

The senses tell the Church of San Domenico

The Church of St. Mary of the Mountain

Madonna of the Militia: a singular warrior virgin

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo della Cancelleria: from former stable to the Nicastro family

A new site for the church of San Giorgio

The senses tell of Palazzo della Cancelleria

The senses tell the Church of San Michele

Virtuosity, decorations and altars

The eagle-shaped city

A stone garden

A story of rebirth

The Church of St. John the Evangelist

A unifying project for the city of Catania

The Franciscan convent

Expansion, spatiality and light in the church of San Domenico

The Duomo di San Giorgio (Cathedral of St. George)

The casket of austerity under the great dome

The Church of Madonna della Stella

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and the Church of San Nicolò l’Arena

Fountain of the Nymph Zizza: public water in the town

The Church of St. Francis

The Benedictines’ library

The church and the college

The new roads of the city

Scicli, the city of Baroque scenery

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

The Staircase of Angels

Majestic exteriors, grandiose interiors

Baroque and the loss of balance in the 16th century

Barresi-Branciforte: the lords of the fiefdom and the modernisation of the town

The palace, the town, the church

The city palace

The freedom of worship and the Catholic Church’s role in the diffusion of Baroque

The illusion of light and the decorative splendour

Art in the cathedral

Views denied, views conquered: the power of the devout Benedictines

Akrai and Syracuse: an unbreakable bond

The two churches

Militello: The story of an enlightened fiefdom

Scenography, lights and colours of the cathedral

The expansion of space and changing reality

The senses tell the story of the Sanctuary Church of Santa Maria della Stella

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Carlo and the former Jesuit college

The dynamics of the Church of San Michele

The art of maiolica

The Church of St. Julian on Via dei Crociferi

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Church of St. Benedict

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The Infiorata of Noto, a modern tradition

San Domenico and Gagliardi’s work

The Antonino Uccello Birthplace Museum

The senses tell the Cathedral of San Giorgio

The city within the city

St. Agatha and the candelore

The Monastery of the Benedictine nuns

The Badia di Sant’Agata (St. Agatha’s Abbey)

The Church of St. Paul

Religious architecture

Luminous sacred spaces

The Monte delle Prestanze in the new city layout

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A casket of precious works

A compromise between Neoclassicism and Baroque

One city, three sites

City and nature

Unusual iconographies: the Burgos crucifix

Rebirth and urban planning of the city of Noto

The interior of the church: space and colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Ducezio

Scenography and devotion for St. Agatha

The Palazzo dei due mori

The senses tell of the Cathedral of San Pietro

A heritage of votive works

Altars, saints and sculptural works

The senses tell about Palazzo Zacco

Palazzo Trigona: a building with a complex shape

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

Reconstruction after the earthquake

The triumph of Baroque: expansion of spaces

The interior and works of art

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Trigona

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Paolo

Baroque creativity: recurring themes

The neo-Gothic seminary chapel: symbols, light and space

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The articulated interior spaces

Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao

Piazza Duomo, the elephant fountain, the heart of the city

The beginning of an authentic Baroque conception

The senses tell about Palazzo Beneventano

Geometry and wonder in civic architecture in the Baroque of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Zacco, a balance between sobriety and decoration

The church and the monastery

The church of San Nicolò l’Arena: the majesty of an unfinished beauty

From the end of the world to rebirth from the rubble

The Madonna dei Conadomini and the art of devotion

Verticality and dynamism of the façade of the Church of San Carlo

The works in the church