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.

One city, two sites

Feast days

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

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

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

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

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

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

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

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

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, three sites

A prominent church

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake