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 chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

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

A miniature city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

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

A colourful floor

A talking palace

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)