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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

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

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A prominent church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

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

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

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

A symbol for the town