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.

Many owners, one palace

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Feast days

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

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 Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Searching for colour