Church of San Giuseppe (Chiesa di San Giuseppe) Tours

Experience some of the best of Sicilian Baroque architecture by heading to Ragusa’s old town, called Ragusa Ibla, where you’ll find the Church of San Giuseppe (Chiesa di San Giuseppe). Dating back to the 1700s, it was constructed atop an earlier church, which was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693.

Its impressive façade, featuring an elaborate Baroque bell town, is very much the star of Piazza Pola. The oval-shaped interior dazzles too, complete with a frescoed cupola, and — take note — high-up wooden grate-covered lookouts from which the nuns can participate in services. If you like what you see here, head to nearby Chiesa San Giorgio, which features a similarly extravagant façade — so similar in fact, that it is believed that the church’s designer, Gagliardi, also designed Chiesa San Giuseppe.