16. Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo La Rocca was purchased by the Regional Province of Ragusa for institutional purposes and is one of the most beautiful late-Baroque buildings (Fig. a). It was rebuilt on the remains of the family palace. Furthermore, in the basement, masonry with ogival openings – typical of the Gothic period – can still be observed.
The two-storey building follows the period’s residential canons, with the ground floor used for workshops and warehouses and the first floor used as a residence (Fig. b). The sober and elegant façade is characterised by seven curved balconies with iron railings in the shape of a goose chest, each supported by three corbels sculpted with anthropomorphic figures as a metaphor for everyday life (Fig.c). Among the many characters, there are three pairs of putti bound by a hug, a knight, a masked man and a grinning goggled face. The palace is entered through a doorway bordered by two pilasters supporting the structure, which includes a curved balcony framed by a large window indicating the hall’s location. The palace is entered through a doorway bordered by two pilasters supporting the structure, which includes a curved balcony framed by a large window indicating the hall’s location. The entrance opens onto an atrium from which an elegant staircase in pitchstone emerges. This is very well designed and leads to the entrance of the main floor (Fig. d).
Like all eighteenth-century palaces, the “piano nobile” (noble floor) is characterised by an “enfilade” (a row of rooms), with the reception hall in the middle, adorned with a silk-woven Chinese tapestry (Fig. e). It is still possible to see the reed and plaster vaults and the lacquered doors from the eighteenth century as well as some crystal chandeliers. Despite some alterations, it still retains many original features, such as the floors, some in pitchstone, others in Caltagirone and Neapolitan majolica (Fig. f).