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 city of museums

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

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

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The theatre of taste

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A symbol for the town