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 Santa Maria del Carmelo

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

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

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

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

The church of Carmine

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

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo