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.

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

A half-Baroque church

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

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

The façade used as a puppet theatre