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 disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Norman apses

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A half-Baroque church

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The internal colours

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

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

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church