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.

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

Norman apses

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A prominent church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

Feast days

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica