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 theatre of taste

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

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

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

Feast days

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

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

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours