Ragusa

A talking palace

terzo balconeWhat makes Palazzo La Rocca so unique are its large corbels , below the balconies, three supporting each one. They tell their own story and amaze passers-by.
From Via Duomo the first balcony that we find is the balcony of the Cherubini (cherubs).
The second and third balconies are dedicated to music, where sculptures of a tenor mandola player and a flute player remind us that at that time music, bel canto and feasts were an essential part of aristocratic life.
il balcone con i suonatori di mandorla particolare il balcone con i suonatori di mandorla
il balcone con i suonatori di flauto particolare settimo balcone
The fourth balcony portrays a tender moment between mother and son. Then follows the balcony above the entrance door decorated with a central shell and plant decorations in the side corbels.
The sixth is the balcony of the Amorini, where three pairs of cupids are linked in a tender embrace.
The seventh balcony has a sculpted telamon that seems to support the full weight of the balcony all by itself.
Balcone sopra il portale foto settimo balcone ottavo balcone
The final balcony is the balcony of the Cavaliere (knight). It is surrounded by several characters.
On the left is a masked man, perhaps one of his soldiers or bodyguards, and on the right is a figure with a malevolent smile, which represents cunning; above is a large moustached man with a thick head of hair and two porters.
What a sight! Walking down Via Capitano Bocchieri is like going to the theatre.

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

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

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

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

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Some prestigious works

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

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

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