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 about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A talking palace

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

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Feast days

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords