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.

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

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

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

A colourful floor

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

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The theatre of taste

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

Feast days

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)