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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A half-Baroque church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A city in colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

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

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Wonderful quick decorations

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

One city, two sites

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

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

A new site for a new church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania