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 city in colour

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

Between white and black

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

A square as the heart of the city

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras