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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

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

The wall comes to life

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

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

Between white and black

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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