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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church