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 internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

New roads for Catania

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

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

A colourful floor

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

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A city in colour

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

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

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A prominent church

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix