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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

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

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

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

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica