Bertini Palace
Along Corso Italia, shortly after the intersection with Via S. Vito, on the right you will find Palazzo Bertini. Built towards the end of the eighteenth century by the Floridia family, it was purchased in 1800 by Don Giuseppe Antonio Bertini, from whom it took its current name. The three "masks" are placed on the keystones of its balconies, one of the main features that distinguishes Palazzo Bertini. The masks represent three characters characteristic of the Baroque allegory: the "three powerful", in other words the lord, the rich and the poor. The gentleman, in the center, is represented with the confident expression of one who is powerful because of his wealth. The poor man, to the left of the gentleman, is represented with caricatured features: his tongue out and with a huge nose. His expression seems to want to testify to the power of those who cannot be deprived of anything since they have no property. The third mask, to the right of the gentleman, represents the rich man, with plump cheeks, a turban, a well-groomed mustache and the typical tranquility of those who can exploit the power of money. Notice how, while the gentleman in the center is sculpted from the front, the poor man and the rich man are sculpted so that they both look in opposite directions. According to a popular version linked to the ancient rivalry between the Sangiovannari (Ragusa Superiore) and the Sangiorgiari (Ragusa Inferiore or Ibla) the masks have the following meaning: the mask to the right of the gentleman, with his gaze turned to Ibla, looks with contempt at the wayfarer from Ibla, the mask in the center, observes him gruffly as he passes under the palace; finally the mask on the left follows him with his eyes mocking him.
The entrance door, placed in an asymmetrical position with respect to the façade, has two half-pillars on the sides that support a balcony with goose-chest railing while on the right there are two other balconies with finely carved and decorated frames.
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