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 interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Prominent façade

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

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A hall for the feasts

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

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

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The theatre of taste

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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