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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

A city in colour

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A miniature city

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

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

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

A new site for a new city

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

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