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 majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

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

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, two sites

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

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

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

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

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

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

Feast days