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

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

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

The two churches

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

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

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A hall for the feasts