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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

The two churches

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

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

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

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

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

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca