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 the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

Feast days

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

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

A new site for a new city

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

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

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A city in colour

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century