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 senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

The internal colours

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

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

One city, three sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

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

New roads for Catania