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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

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

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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