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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

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

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Norman apses

The Maiolica of the staircase