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.

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life