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 wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

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

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, three sites

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

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library