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.

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

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

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some masterpieces

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church