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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

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

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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