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.

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

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

Some prestigious works

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

Wonderful quick decorations

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

A city in colour

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

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

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

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

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

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

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts