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.

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

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