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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

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

A city in colour

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The theatre of taste

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto