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 hall for the feasts

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

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

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Prominent façade

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

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 Giuseppe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

The theatre of taste

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

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

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords