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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

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

Norman apses

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

Feast days

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

A majestic and luminous church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A new site for a new city

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata