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.

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The two churches

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo