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

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

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

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

A talking palace

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

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

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites