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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The city of museums

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A hall for the feasts

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

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

Discovering the mother church