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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

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

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels