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 the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

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

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

The city of museums