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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

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

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church