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.

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

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

A new site for a new church

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches