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.

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Norman apses

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

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

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

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

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom