Ragusa

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

sight
A valley for Palazzo La Rocca

The green valley overlooked by Palazzo La Rocca is a riot of colours that vary with the changing seasons.
From the strong bright colours of spring, it moves on to shades of yellow and ochre in summer due to the lack of rain. As it reaches the end of summer, the colours are reborn with autumn fruits, such as pomegranate and quince.
Finally, winter arrives, which by nature makes everything darker, grey and less luxuriant.

hearing
The noises of a bygone era

The corbels of Palazzo La Rocca are a memory from a bygone era, especially the balcony with the flute and tenor mandola players, which brings to mind the sweet melodies played at the great parties held at the Palazzo, one of the most important events for the aristocracy. Delicate sounds accompanied the balls and dances in the great hall!

smell
The smell of the stone

The entrance to Palazzo La Rocca is extremely evocative.
With a little imagination you can picture Don Saverio La Rocca climbing the pietra pece staircase at the entrance.
What makes the atrium unique, however, is the strong smell of petroleum that envelops the entire space. It’s hard to believe, but the stone’s composition gives the room a sharp scent that verges on unpleasant, though it is fascinating to think that nature was able to create such a strong-smelling stone.

Some masterpieces

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano