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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

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

Searching for colour

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

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

A new site for a new church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour