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.

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A symbol for the town

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A new site for a new city

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

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

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

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour