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.

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

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

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A colourful floor

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city