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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Norman apses

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

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

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The internal colours

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day