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 miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

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

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

Between white and black

One city, two sites

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

A talking palace

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento