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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The church of Carmine

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

One city, three sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

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

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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