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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

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

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso