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 disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The church of Carmine

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

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

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day