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.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A colourful floor

The two churches

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life