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

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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 the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

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

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso