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 façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

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

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

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

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata