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

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

Feast days

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

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

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

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

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

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

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

The Maiolica of the staircase