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 Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

Feast days

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras