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

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

A triumph of colour

The two churches

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation