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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

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

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

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

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church