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 small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

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

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

The internal colours

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

Feast days

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

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

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

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