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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A symbol for the town

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

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

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

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

The church of Carmine

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake