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.

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

A city in colour

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A talking palace

Prominent façade

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli