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

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

Between white and black

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

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

The internal colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Feast days