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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

A city in colour

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

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

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

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Norman apses

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

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

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

New roads for Catania

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

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city