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.

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

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

The theatre of taste

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

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

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

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix