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

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

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