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 the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

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

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

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

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

A city in colour

A miniature city

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

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

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city