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 Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

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

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

New roads for Catania

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

A talking palace

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

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

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace