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.

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

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

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

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

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

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

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The wall comes to life

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

New roads for Catania

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

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

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade