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.

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The disastrous earthquake

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

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

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

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

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra