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.

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

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

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

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

A city in colour

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

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

A miniature city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe