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 talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

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

The two churches

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

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

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A long reconstruction

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

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

Between white and black