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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

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

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city