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 new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

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

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

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The chocolate of Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Norman apses

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine