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.

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

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

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

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

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

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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