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 prominent church

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, three sites

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The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The two churches

Norman apses

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

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The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

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

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

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The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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