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

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

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

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour