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.

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

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

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

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

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

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

Between white and black

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