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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Discovering the mother church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The chocolate of Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

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

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours