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 Giovanni Evangelista

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

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

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

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

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites