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 about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

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

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

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

Feast days

One city, three sites

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

A long reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony