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.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

Searching for colour

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

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

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feast days

The church of Carmine

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 Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new church