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.

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The theatre of taste

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

A long reconstruction

Between white and black

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

One city, three sites

A miniature city

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

A colourful floor

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

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

The colours of the cathedral