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.

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

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

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Maiolica of the staircase