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 Nicolaci

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

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

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A colourful floor

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

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

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

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

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

Prominent façade

The two churches

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

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

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

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

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums