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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

A prominent church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

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

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

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

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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