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 Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

The city of museums

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

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The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church