Ragusa

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

taste
A freshwater spring

Not far from the church of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) is Porta Walter. It was built in medieval times and allowed people to leave the city and visit the lush green valley of Santa Domenica.
From here they would reach a spring where inhabitants rushed to quench their thirst and collect as much water as possible, especially on long, sweltering summer days!

sight
A question of perspective!

Depending on the time of day, the levels of the façade and its various elements create a unique and fascinating combination of light effects.
The plays of light and shadow change from hour to hour.
The endless chiaroscuro effects uncover and hide new details each time.

touch
Such rich materials!

The church brings out the diversity of the materials and the infinite possibilities for their use. As a matter of fact, the glass used in the large windows of the vault was also used to decorate the altars with a process that imitates marble.
Used for the worshippers’ seating, wood also proves to be an excellent material for beautiful wooden sculptures such as the Madonna near the altar.
madonna in legno altare

Many owners, one palace

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

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The two churches

Norman apses

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

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

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

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

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

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

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