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 Badia di Sant’Agata

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

One city, three sites

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

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

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

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

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

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

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

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Some masterpieces