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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, two sites

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra