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

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

Searching for colour

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

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

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

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

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

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