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 colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

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

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

A new site for a new church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A miniature city

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites