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.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

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

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

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

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

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

Searching for colour

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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