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 city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

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

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

Some prestigious works

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins