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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

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

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

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

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

Between white and black

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The two churches

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church