10. Zacco Palace

This Rococo-style palace was one of the first to be built in Ragusa Superiore. Purchased by the Zacco family, it was initially the palace of the Melfi family, whose family coat of arms supported by two angels can be seen on the corner of the two façades (Fig. a).
On the main façade, there are three balconies, the central one of which rests on two fluted columns, with Corinthian capitals, made of pitchstone that define the entrance to the palace (Fig. b).
The corbels of the balconies are carved with grotesque masks depicting musicians or ordinary people (Fig. c). The right side balcony’s central corbel is carved with a mask that, looking at passers-by, grimaces at them (Fig. d).
The façade on Corso Vittorio Veneto features three balconies, with the central one standing out. It rests on five carved corbels depicting mermaids flanked by flute and trumpet players. The window frame is richly sculpted and ends with a cornice broken by a statue of St. Michael the Archangel (Fig. e). The palace is home to a museum, which houses artworks by master sculptor Cappello (Fig. f).