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 half-Baroque church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A feast only for Scicli

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 talking palace

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The internal colours

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?