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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The city of museums

Feast days

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

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

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day