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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

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

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

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

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

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

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

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

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Feast days

The church of Carmine

The two churches

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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