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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

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

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

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

Discovering the mother church

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

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The internal colours

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace