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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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 Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The two churches

A city in colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints