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 about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

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

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

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

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

A city in colour

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church