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 square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

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

The internal colours

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

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

Between white and black

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour