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.

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour