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 hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

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

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour