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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The internal colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

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A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

The two churches

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

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

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

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces