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.

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The theatre of taste

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

Searching for colour

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

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

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

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

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

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

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?