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 Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

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

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

A city in colour

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

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

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

A new site for a new church