Ragusa

Searching for colour

The interior of the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is a single large oval-shaped room.
The Friar Alberto Maria di San Giovanni Battista most likely took inspiration for its floor plan from the church of Santa Chiara (St. Claire) in Noto.
The architect friar had two entrances built, one from Piazza Pola and the other directly from the convent for access by the nuns. As you enter the church you are surprised and overwhelmed by its very high ceiling, an effect achieved thanks to the majestic dome and the four windows that fill the space with light.
Ingresso verso l’altare foto dal basso verso l’alto della cupola
As for the walls, they were left white with some golden stucco decoration.
This pallor, however, is immediately broken up by four colourful altars placed along the walls, the painting on the high altar and the vault fresco.

zoom affresco della volta
affresco della volta

The painting with the Holy Family was created by painter Matteo Battaglia from Ragusa and the fresco with the Glory of St. Benedict is the work of Sebastiano Lo Monaco, an artist from Catania.
To add colour to the room, and to create a strong contrast with the white walls, black pietra pece was used for the floor, which features a white limestone decoration.
uno degli altari sulle pareti pavimento

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

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

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

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

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

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

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

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

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

Feast days

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