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 city in colour

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The two churches

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

Feast days

A colourful floor

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

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites