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 prominent church

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Norman apses

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

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

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

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

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca