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 Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

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

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A half-Baroque church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The interior and its masterpieces

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata