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.

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

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

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

A hall for the feasts

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Norman apses

Feast days

The city of museums

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

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

Searching for colour

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

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