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.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The disastrous earthquake

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

A city in colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

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

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

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

The church of Carmine

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica