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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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 Giuliano ai Crociferi

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

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

The city of museums

Feast days

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

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

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

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata