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 Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

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

Prominent façade

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Between white and black

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

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The disastrous earthquake

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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