Sicilian Baroque
Sicilian baroque is a unique form of architecture. Recognisable not just by its typical baroque curves and flourishes, but by its grinning masks and putti, and an individual flamboyance not seen elsewhere. Until recently little studied, recognised or appreciated, its Baroque gives Sicily a unique architectural individuality.
Sicily, a volcanic island, off the Italian peninsular has been ruled by many different countries, civilized by the Greeks, then oppressed under the Romans, governed by Byzantines, conquered by barbarians, a Moslem emirate, a Norman duchy, a Hohenstaufen kingdom, ruled by Angevins given to Spain, then the Neapolitan Bourbons before finally being united in the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Thus Sicilians have absorbed many cultures, and consequently the island has had a wide diversity of architecture. Following a great earthquake in 1693 when much if not all in many of the Island's cities were destroyed an unprecedented great surge of rebuilding commenced. This resulted in some of the island's finest buildings, these were all in one style - Baroque.
Sicilian architecture: 16th century
It has often been said that the earthquake of 1696 was the catalyst which caused the evolution if Sicilian baroque - it was not. Baroque architecture had begun to evolve in Sicily long before the earthquake. While the buildings which can be clearly classified as baroque in style date from circa 1650; a form of decorated classical architecture peculiar to Sicily had begun to evolve from the 1530s onwards. This often took the form of incorporating Greek architectural motifs, such as the Greek key pattern (draw picture of this) incorporated with Norman Gothic features such as arches.
However, what is unique about this early ornate architecture is that unlike in the rest of Europe it did not grow from the renaissance architecture but from an evolved form of Norman gothic. Renaissance architecture hardly touched Sicily, indeed in the capital city of Palermo the only high renaissance architectural object is a singular water fountain brought from Florence when it was already twenty years old.
Why the renaissance style never became popular in Sicily can only be the subject of conjecture and speculation, it was certainly not through ignorance of the style. Antonio Gangini was midway constructing the church of Santa Maria di Porto Salvo in 1536 in renaissance style when he was inexplicably replaced by the architect Antonio Scaglione who completed the building in a Norman style. This Norman style seems to have influenced Sicilian architecture almost to the time of the 1693 earthquake. Even Mannerism passed the island by. Only in the architecture of Messina [1] can the renaissance influence be discerned, this is though through geographical reasons, Messina closer to mainland Italy was always more amenable to the prevailing tides of fashion prevailing there. The towns aristocratic patrons would often call on Florence of Rome to provide them with an architect, one example of this is the florentine architect Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli who is established the Tuscan styles of architecture and sculpture there in the mid 16th century. However these influences remained largely confined to Messina and the surrounding district. It seems likely that it was the Catholic church, always, removed from Rome, retrospective in it's architectutal views that influenced this state of affairs, and the clergy, their power enforced by fear of the Inquisition now declining, had effectively kept almost all manifestations of the renaissance from the island.
This is not to say Sicily was not influenced by what was happening elsewhere in Europe. Architecture in the island's major cities was revolutionised by a family of sculptors the Gangini, who arrived from Florence in 1463, they began to decorate churches and buildings with ornate decorative and figurative sculpture. Less than a century after his family had begun to cautiously decorate the island's churches, Antonio Gangini completed the proscenium like arch of the Capella della Madonna, in the Santuario dee'Annunziata at Trapani. This pedimented arch to the sanctuary is decorated with relief busts of the saints, but most important, architecturally, the pediment is adorned by reclining saints supporting swags linked to the central shield crowning the pediment. One of the first signs that Sicily's baroque was forming, this arch was completed between 1531 and 1537.
While one can easily discern the Norman influences, overall It is hard to fully and accurately evaluate Sicilian architecture just prior to the 1693 quake - so much was destroyed, including often the documents recording what existed before. Information has been further blurred by subsequent earthquakes, and severe bombing in World War II.
However, from those buildings and documents which have survived it is very evident that Baroque, albeit provincial and naive had arrived on the island prior to 1693, and in the hands of the local architects and sculptors was alreadiny deviating from the baroque in mainland Italy. This localising (is this a word) of baroque was not peculiar to Sicily but was happening as far a field as from Russia to Bavaria.
Sicily 1693
The great Sicilian earthquake of 1693, severely damaged fifty-four cities and towns, and 300 villages. The epicentre of the disaster was Val di Noto, where the city of Noto was completely destroyed, the entire city of Catania vanished along with its 18,000 inhabitants. In all it is estimated over 100,000 perished. Other towns which suffered severely were Ragusa, Modica, Scicli and Ispica.
Almost immediatly rebuilding began. To understand the lavishness of the architecture which was to arise from the disaster, one has to understand the politics of Sicily at the time: Sicily was still officially under Spanish rule. However, the truth was that Sicily was ruled by its native aristocracy. This was lead by the Duke of Camastra, whom the Spannish had appointed Viceroy to appease the aristocracy. It is worth noting (there were more aristocrats per square meter than in any other state) In the 18th century it was estimated {footnote to Friederich Munter} there were 228 noble families, who provided Sicily with a ruling class consisting of 58 princes, 27 dukes, 37 marquesses, 26 Counts, 1 viscount and 79 barons— the Golden Book of the Sicilian nobility (which was last published in 1926) listed even more. In addition to these were the younger scions of the family with their courtesy titles of nobile or baron.
Their architecture was not the only thing the Normans had left behind, rule over the peasants (there was no established middle class) was enforced by a feudal system, practically unchanged since its introduction by the Normans following their conquest of 1071. Order was further enforced by the Roman Catholic church (many of its priest and Bishops themselves members of the aristocracy) who commanded respect by threatening a fear of damnation in the next life, and the inquisition in the present. As a consequence the Sicilian aristocracy had not only wealth but command of a huge manpower, which had declined in most other parts of Europe.
Many of these grandees thus in 1693 found themselves without either town palazzo or country villa. Once rebuilding work was underway, many of the wealthy who had not lost their homes in the quake, were inspired by the new palazzi of their friends to redesign or rebuild their own houses.
Planning the new cities
Following the quake a fast program of rebuilding was put into action but before it began in earnest some important decisions had to be taken which were to differentiate Sicilian towns permanently from most other European urban developments. Spain's Viceroy the Duke of Camastra decided that rather than rebuilding in the medieval style of cramped narrow streets the new rebuilding would be one of wider main streets, and piazzas, often on a grid system. The whole plan often often to take a geometric shape such as a perfect square or hexagon. This is now recognised as typical baroque town planning. The concept was very new in the 1690s, few new cities had reason to be built in Europe. The prototype may well have been the new city of Terra del Sole [2] constructed in 1564 for Cosimo I de’ Medici by Baldassarre Lanci of Urbino. One of the first towns to be planned using symmetry and order rather than an evolution of small alleys and streets. In 1666 London had almost been destroyed by fire and was being replanned partially on a grid system, allthough here unlike the brand new city of Città del Sole, the opportunity to create a true new city was never executed, partially through sentiment pertaining to that which had survived the fire and public oppinion. In Sicily public oppinion (the public being the peasantry) counted for nothing hence the revolutionary new concepts of town planning could be executed. Until this date only convents and ecclesiastical buildings were recent constructions. Here for generations
A little later in the hispanic colonies of South America, baroque, and this form of planning was to become the favoured choice too, especiallt by the Portugese in their colonies, paricularly Brazil from 1711. However in Sicily the decision was taken not just for fashion and appearance but because it would also minimise the damage to property and life likely to be caused in future quakes. In 1693 the cramped housing and streets had caused buildings to crash rather like a "house of cards". It is interesting to note though, that the poor's areas were still cramped and narrow. Architecturally the big advantage of this new town planning was that unlike in many Italian towns and cities, where one frequently encounters a monumental renaissance church sqeezed terrace fashion between incongruous neighbours in a narrow street. In urban baroque design one can step back and actually see the architecture a more conducive setting in relation to its size, proportions and perspective. This is most notable in the largely rebuilt towns of Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli.
One of the best examples of this new form of urban planning can be seen at Noto, the town rebuilt approximately 10 km form its original site on Mount Alveria. The old ruined town now known as "Noto Antica" can still be viewed in its ruinous state. The new site chosen was flatter than the old to better facilitate a linear grid like plan. The principal streets run east to west so they would benefit from a better light and a sunnier disposition.
The aristocracy were allocated the higher areas, where the air was cooler and fresher and the views finest, and the church was allocated the town centre, for convenience to all, and to reflect the churche's global position; here were built the cathedral, the convents and episcopal Palazzo Vescovile. The merchants, storekeepers and mongers chose their lots on the planned wider streets, and then finally the poor were allowed the areas nobody else wanted. In this way Baroque town planning came to symbolize and reflect political authority, later its style and philosophy spread to such far away places as Annapolis, in the State of Maryland, and perhaps most notably Baron Haussmann's 19th century re-designing of Paris. The stage was now set for the explosion of baroque architecture which was to predominate in Sicily untill the early 19th century.
Distinguishing Sicilian Baroque
Baroque architecture is a European style of design originating from 17th century Italy, flamboyant and theatrical, and richly ornamented by both sculpture, and the effect of light and shade on the building created by mass and shadow known as chiaroscuro.
Sicilian Baroque is more than just Baroque which happens to be in Sicily; but it is difficult to define any one singular feature which differentiates Sicilian Baroque from the Baroque found elsewhere. One expert [3]on the subject makes great play of the elaborate and complex external staircases leading to some of the ecclisiastical buildings, and piano nobili of the may villas and palazzi, and while these are indeed plentifull in Sicily, they are not unknown elsewhere. This is the crux of the problem no one feature is completely unique to Sicily, so one has to look at the composition as a whole, and then with geater difficulty evaluate if the architecture has the inexplicable "joie de vivre" in its curves, scrolls and flourishes.
The distinguishing feature of Sicilian baroque which is the most obvious, and often best remembered are the multitudes of grotesque masks and putti, often supporting balconies or decorating various bands of a building's entablature; their grinning or glaring faces are evident in Sicilian architecture prior to the mid 17th century.
The balconies supported by the putti, are themselves a feature of Sicilian Baroque, often guarded by wrought iron ballustrades, as intricately desighned and crafted as the masonry carving of the window pediments and surrounds.
An important feature of Sicilian architecture which is clearly discernable before the earthquake is the Sicilian belfry. The Sicilian belfry, was not placed beside the church in acampanile tower, as is often to be found in Italy]] but on the facade itself, often surmounting the central pediment, with one or more bells, each clearly displayed beneath its own arch, in a large church with many bells this would often result in a highly sculpted and decorated arcaded at the highest point of the principal facade.(see Catania's Collegiata at the top of this page). The belfry was to be one of the most enduring and characteristic features of Sicilian baroque architecture. Also to survive the tests of time, and become a feature of Sicilian baroque,was the decorated rustication.Serlio had decorated the blocks of ashlar in his rustication, but by the end of the 16th century Sicilian architects were ornamenting the blocks with carcings of leaves, fish- scales, even sweets, but most important of shell; shells were to become the most prevelant ornamental symbols of baroque design.
One more distinction often seen in Sicilian architecture, is the use of columns, in Sicily one rarely, especially in the earlier works, encounters columns in clustered groups acting as piers, in most cases they are employed singularly in the Norman tadition.
Finally, the architectural influence of the ruling Spanish, if to a lesser extent than the Norman Gothic. The Spannish style is especially obvious in eastern Sicily, where the monumental Porta Grazia, of 1680, in Messina while showing, what is today claimed as strong Sicilian features, would not be out of place in any of the towns and citadels built by the Spanish in their colonies elsewhere. The style of this gate was widely copied all over Catania immediatly folowing the quake.
These peculiarities and distinctions some easy to spot, others less so, were all in various degrees to infiltrate the Baroque form which was to sweep Sicily in the 18th century.
Rebuilding Sicily after 1693
Of Sicily's own form of baroque, post 1693, it has been said [4] "The buildings conceived in the wake of this disaster expressed a lighthearted freedom of decoration whose incongruous gaiety was intended, perhaps, to assuage the horror". While this is an accurate description of the style is indeed almost a celebration of joie de vivre in stone, this is unlikely to be the reason for its choice. As with all architectural styles the selection of style would have directly linked to current fashion. Versailles had been completed in 1688 in the baroque style, hailed almost as the eighth wonder of the world, Louis XIV's new palace was immediatly emulated across Europe by any aristocrat or sovereighn in Europe aspiring to wealth, taste, or power. Thus it was the obvious choice for the "homeless rich" of Sicily. However, new baroque building was not confined to the palazzi in the alloctaed aristocratic enclaves on the wide new boulevards of the cities, but also their country villas and estates.
As the 18th century dawned Sicilian architects were now employed to create the new palazzi and churches. These, often local, architects were now able to design in a more sophisticated sryle than those of the late 17th century; many had been trained in Italy itself, and had returned with a more detailed understanding of the baroque idiom, their work, in turn, also inspired the less well travelled Sicilian designers. Very importantly, these architects were also assisted by the books of engravings by Domenico de' Rossi who for the first time wrote down text with his engravings giving the precise dimensions and measurements of many of the principal Renaissance and Baroque facades in Rome. In this way the Renaissance finally came late to Sicily by proxy. At this sstage of its development Sicilian Baroque still lacked the warmth, joy, and freedom that it was later to acquire. Even the works Giovanni Battista Vaccarini the leading Sicilian architect during this period are considered off lesser quality than that which was to come [5]. Notable works which date from this period are the 18th century wings of the Palazzo Biscari at Catania; and Vaccarini's church of S. Agata also in Catania. On this building Vavccarini quite clearly copied the capitals from Guarino Guarini's "Architettura Civile". It is this frequent copying of established designs which causes the architecture from this period to be ,while oppulent, also to have a disciplined, almost reined in feel to them.
There were also at this time other influences at work. Between 1718 and 1734 Sicily was ruled personally by the Emperors in [Vienna]], as a result of this close ties with Austrian architecture can be perceived. Several buildings on the island are shameless imitations of the works of Fischer von Erlach. One leading Sicilian architect Tomasso Napoli visited Vienna twice returning with the inevitable engraving and drawings. He was later to be major architect of country villas in the final accomplished Sicilian baroque style. His external staircase at Baghria's Villa Palagonia is the most complex and ingenius of all constructed in the Baroque period in Sicily.
Napoli was to be a leading member of a new wave of architects, who would master the Baroque sentiments, aware of the even more intricate Rococco style beginning elsewhere to gain an ascendency over Baroque. These architects would go on to develop the flamboyance and freedom and movement which is synonemous the term Sicilian Baroque today.
The evolved style
Over time the Baroque style gradually began to evolve away from the defined Roman style of Baroque and gain an even stronger individuality, this was for two reasons: in this era the rush to rebuild was subsiding, construction was becoming more leisurely and thoughtful; and a new clutch of home-grown Sicilian architects came to the forefront. This new generation had watched the rebuilding in the Baroque, and studied the ever more frequent engravings and architectural books and treatises arriving from the mainland. However they were not like their predecessors the former students of the Romans and as a consequence were able to formulate strong individual styles of their own. These architects included Andrea Palma, Rosario Gagliardi and Tomasso Napoli. While taking account of the baroque of Naples and Rome, they now adapted their designs for the local needs and traditions. Their use of resources and exploitation of the sites was often wildly inventive. Vaccarini had promoted the use of the external staircase, this was now taken to new heights as churches upon the summits of a hills would be reached by fantastical flights of steps (redolent of Vaccarini's mentor Di Sanctis's Spanish steps in Rome). Facades of churches often came to resemble wedding cakes rather than places of worship as the architects grew in confidence, competence and stature. Church interiors which until this date had been slightly pedestrian now, especially in Palermo, came to be decorated in a riot of inlaid marbles of a wide variety of colours. Professor Anthony Blunt has described this decoration as: "either fascinating or repulsive, but however the individual spectator may react to it, this style is a characteristic manifestation of Sicilian exuberance, and must be classed amongst the most important and original creations of Baroque art on the Island" This is the key to Sicilian Baroque it was ideally matched to the Sicilian personality, and this was the reason it evolved so dramatically on the island.
Conclusion
As with all architectural styles eventually people eventually tired of Baroque, but in the case of baroque it was not transformed to a more simple style, but to an even more ornate rococo. Except in Sicily, as with the renaissance, the rococco style passed the island by. Sicily was now part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Palermo was in constant association with the principal capital Naples, where there was architectutally a growing reversion to the classical styles. Many of the more cultured Sicilian nobility developed a fashionable obsession for all things French from philiosophy to arts, fashion and architecture. Many visited Paris in pursuit of their interests returning with the latest architectural engravings and theoretical treatises. The French architect Léon Dufourny came to Sicily between 1787 and 1794 to study and analyse the ancient Greek temples on the Island, thus it was that Sicilians redisvovered their ancient past which with its classical idioms was nnow the height of fashion. Such Sicilian architects as Andrea Giganti once a competant architect in Baroque, now began to desighn in what came to be known as the Neo-classical style. As with the early days of Sicilian Baroque the first buildings of the new era were copies, but in this case of Neo classical buildings in the so envied and fashionable France. Giganti's Villa Galletti at Bagheiria is clearly inspired by the work of Ange-Jacques Gabriel. Thus Sicilian Baroque gradually was superseeded by French Neo classicism. Away from Palermo Sicilian baroque clung tenuously to life into the 19th century, the last recorded Sicilian Baroque church is S. Giovanni at Modica constructed in 1839.
While Sicilian baroque is today recognised as an architectural style, largely due to the work of Anthony Blunt, on of the few serious studies of the subject, much of the decay and ruinous state of preservation must fall on the polical agendas of successive socialist governments. Those remaining members of the Sicilian aristocracy who still inhabit their ancestral palazzi have for the mostpart have refrained from filling their gardens with wild animals to lure in the masses to view their homes (ironically unlike their English counterparts who spurned baroque as vulgar exess). The Princes, Marquesses, and Counts of Sicily have preferred to live in splendid isolation surrounded, often, by beauty and decay, this is not because of a disdain for the masses, or an indifference to their heritage, but more a bunker mentality, for years penalised by exhaustive taxes, it is only today they and the state are awaking up to the possibility that if action is not taken soon, it will be too late. Hence the baroque palazzi of Sicily are slowly beginning to open their doors to the eager paying public, albeit an American and British public, rather than Italian. A few years ago the Gangi Palace ballroom was alone in its status as having been a filmset, today long shrouded salons and ballrooms are hosting corporate and public events. Some palazzi are offering a bed and breakfast service, with a "dine with the Marchese" as an optional extra. Perhaps one day all the baroque palazzi of Sicily will be restored to their former splendour for all to admire. The style is almost part of the Sicilian identity, more so than any other architectural style elsewhere in the world.
Footnotes
- ^ Messina: The Sicilian city most closely related for geographical reasons to mainland Italy, once contained some of Sicily's finest buildings. The city's history though is probably amongst the most turbulent and catastrophic of Sicily. Its, almost unique to Sicly, renaissance buildings shared the repeated misfortunes of the city. not only was much destroyed in the quake of 1693, but again by quakes in 1783, and yet again in 1908. What precious buildings remained to record Messina's glorious architectural past were destroyed in the bombing raids on 1943. However destruction caused by methods beyond the city's control were not the only cause of its misfortune. The city's rebellion against the Spanish, supported by the French, in 1676 failed. The Spanish then withdrew the city's privileges and powers beginning a huge decline in it's wealth and prosperity. The city sank into poverty and obscurity. The Porta Grazia, the entrance to the long destroyed citadel built by the Spanish to suppress the townspeople is one of the few remaining pre 1693 buildings to survive.
- ^ Terra del Sole
- ^ Professor Anthony Blunt
- ^ Mary Miers. Country Life Magazine. 1 Nov. 2004
- ^ Blunt, Anthony. "Sicilian Baroque". Page 09.
External links
References
- Hamel,Pasquale. Breve storia deela societa siciliana (1790-1980). Palermo Sellerio.
- Du Pays, A J. Guide d'Italie et Sicile. 1877. Hachette.
- Drago, Francesco Palazzolo. Famiglie nobili sicilian. Palermo. Arnaldo Forni
- Barocco ibleo (Italian)
THE END
Everything below here is for my reference only
Early Sicilian Baroque (1690s)
Among these architects was Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (1702-68), who arrived in c 1730, bringing with him a completely different form of baroque. He had studied under the great Roman baroque architects {cite}. In Sicily he developed the Roman ideas still further, designing unified movement and a play of curves, which would have been unacceptable in Rome itself. Vaccarini's finest works which include, the Palazzo Valle (1740-50) and the Church of S. Agata.
The final completed evolution of Sicilian baroque a rcognisable style in its own right. Now it had spread beyond the earthquake zone to all Sicily. It is now once again in the hands of the local Sicilian architects themselves. These Sicilians had since the first phase now seen the rebuilding, and often studied under the master architects imported from the mainland to oversee the second phases. They were now more competent and confident in the baroque style and freed of the constraints imposed the grand architects of Naples and Rome, and with the style is so established the local the architects began to take liberties and inject their own ideas.
People had now been rehoused their earthly need catered for, attention now turned to the spiritual - the rebuilding on the large scale of cathedrals and churches. One of the greatest of the local architects of this period was Rosario Gagliardi (1698 -1762). When one looks at his cathedral of San Giorgio in Modica, and San Giorgio Church (1744-66) in Ragusa, it seems incredible that, born in Syracuse, he never travelled outside of Sicily. He worked in the Sicilian baroque period throughout its evolution, beginning with the cathedral at Modica in 1702. As the Sicilian baroque style evolved so too did the long term projects, such as the cathedrals. Often begun in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, to restore the holy faith in the understandably dissilusioned and frightened peasants these monumental buildings which took so long to build often transgressed all periods of the development of the style. This is certainly true of the Duomo at Syracuse.
Noto
Rebuilt with an orthogonal scheme, away from the destroyed town, with a chess-board structure. The architects and the handicraftsmen created a very beautiful urban centre which was given the nickname of “Stone Garden” Economic development during the Bourbon period. Architects Rosario Gagliardi, Vincenzo Sinatra and Paolo Labisi. Buildings of Noto
Palazzo Nicolaci.Palazzo Ducezio, 1742, sur un projet de Vincenzo Sinatra
Duomo (cathédrale), terminé en 1776 Palazzo San Alfano, 1730, classique Palazzo di Villadorata Church of the Collegio Church of San Domenico Church of Monte Vergine (1762) Church of San Francesco
== Catania ==Pallazo Biscari. Begun in 1702]]Cathedral and close by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. He reconstructed the façade of the cathedral between 1730 and 1736, and the town hall in 1741. Via Etnea has many baroque buildings with lava dust façades.
Palazzo Biscari. [6] this palazzo has been called the perfect example of Sicilian barok (footnote to Blunt). Ecompassing all htree phases. Constructed in the early 18th century it has been since then continually the residence of the Paternò Castello family, the Princes of Biscari
Modica
Cathedral of San Giorgio, constructed between 1702 and 1738 by Rosario Gagliardi, It is thought to be the prototype for all the other churches in the region.
Syracuse
CHURCH OF SANTA CATERINA baroque church walls and ceiling covered with frescos and carvings of the saints, flora and fauna.Duomo di San Giorgio, built in 1775, designed by the architect Rosario Gagliardi from Siracusa, the principal façade is three storeys decorated by columns and pilasters. redolent of of some of the chyrches which evolved during the Bayrischen barok period. Syracuse's Piazza Duomo has been referred to 'the most civilised urban space in Europe' (find out by whom)
- Bold and confident duomo facade is by Andrea Palma
- Luciano Ali Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco
- Ortygia numerous small palazzi, almost street architecture all have oversailing cornices and curved projecting balconies supported on ornately carved corbels and brackets giving the impression of walking among a street of wedding cakes.
Andrea Palma (1664-1730)
Palermo
Palazzo Gangi, c 1770-90
Expand and explain Guilio Lasso's massive and awe inspiring Quattro Canti.
Ragusa
The Cathedral Of San Giovanni Battista was built between 1718 and 1778, it has a huge façade rich in carvings and sculpture. The late date of its completion saw that the interior was displaying the first signs of the rococo style. It is divided into three aisles by columns with capitols richly sculpted and inlaid with gold.
- Church of San Giorgio: Rosario Gagliardi. designed in 1738, the neoclassical dome was not built untill 1820. In the design of this cathedral Gagliardi, rather than being cowed by the difficult terrain of the hillside site, chose to exploit it. The church towers impresivly over a massive marble staircase of some 250 steps. The tower seems to explode from the facade, accentuated by the columns and pillasters cnated against the curved walls. Above the doorways and window appetures pediments scroll and curve with a sense of freedom and movement to the design which would have been unthinkable to the second phase architects inspired by Bernini and Borromini
- Palazzo della Cancelleria.
- The Palazzo Zacco is one of the more beautiful baroque buildings of the city, its Corinthian columns support balconies of amazing wrought iron work, while supports of grotesques mock, shock or amuse the passer-by.Located in Ragusa, this baroque palazzo was built in second half of the 18th century by the Baron Melfi. It was later acquired by the Zacco family, from which it has taken the name. The building has two street facades each with with six wide balconies. At the central point of each can be found the coat of arms of the Melfi family:- a frame of acanthus leaves from which a puttino leans. The balconies (a feature of the palazzo) are notable for the differing corbels which support them, these range from putti to musicians and grotesques. The focal point of the principal facade are the three central balconies divided by columns with corinthean captals. Here the balconies are supported by images of musicians with grottesque faces.
Ferla
Church of San Sebastiano, with its seemingly animated statues decorating its portico is just one of nine churches in this small towm
Memo to self to be deleted. Buildings mentioned here.
- churches of Catania
- [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Baroque_architecture commons fotod
- Church of San Giorgio, Ragusa - Gagliardi - 1738
- The Church Of Anime Ss. Del Purgatorio, Ragusa
- Church of San Sebastiano, at Acireale), before 1690
- Cathedral Of San Giovanni Battista 1718 and 1778
- Palazzo Biscari. Catania. 1702
- Palazo Gangi, Palermo 1770-90
- Quattro Canti, Guilio Lasso (1611 origin).[7]
- Palazzo Zacco [8]
- Palazzo della Cancelleria, Ragusa Many Palazzi