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.

Searching for colour

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

The city of museums

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

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

Feast days

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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