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.

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

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

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

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

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life