Ragusa

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

hearing
Angelic song

On 24 June 1858 the church resounded with festivities.
The great organ was inaugurated, with more than three thousand pipes and a gigantic wooden cantoria (a structure built to house the choir). We can only imagine the sweet sound that accompanied that moment.
The organ still works today and can be found in the right chapel before the transept, while the cantoria was placed above the main portal.
For centuries, music and angelic songs have been an integral part of liturgical functions.
foto organo foto organo nella prima cappella di destra del transetto

touch
Pietra pece, a special stone

The dark, petroleum-infused pietra pece of the floor smells like petrol and leaves a coat of grease on your fingers like oil!
This unique rock is widely used because its particular composition can make a room resistant to humidity.

sight
Diversity makes everything more special

The two-tone interior makes the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) wonderful. The white walls combined with the black floor enhances both elements and adds liveliness to the environment.
Once inside the church of St. John the Baptist, our sense of sight is also stimulated by the colourful altars that crowd the side naves.
Red, green, white, gold, and even the black of the balustrades stimulate the visitor’s eye.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

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

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

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

One city, two sites

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony