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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A symbol for the town

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

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

Norman apses

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli