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 wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

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

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library