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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

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

Norman apses

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre