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

A hall for the feasts

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

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

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A long reconstruction

The two churches

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords