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 colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

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

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

A city in colour

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

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

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

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

Feast days

The two churches

One city, three sites

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto