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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania