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 Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

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

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new church

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

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

One city, three sites

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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