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.

Prominent façade

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

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

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

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

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The disastrous earthquake

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