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

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

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

The wall comes to life

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

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

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour