Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches

The two main churches of Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Paolo (St. Paul) and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), are excellent examples of the particular late Baroque style.
  
They stand out from the other buildings in the town and hold particular significance.
Each with their own style, they form a theatrical setting that characterises the town space, so much so that their surrounding districts are named after them.
The great value of the two religious buildings is given by the interesting architectural features and the rich, elaborate decorations preserved inside. Both were rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to demonstrate the wealth possessed by the local confraternities.
Religious feasts are very popular in Palazzolo Acreide! They take place from June to October and are dedicated to the town’s patron saints.
The feast of St. Paul the Apostle (29th June) ) has very ancient origins, is internationally celebrated and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists every year. The same can be said of the feast in honour of St. Sebastian to whom almost the entire month of August is dedicated.

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

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

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A colourful floor

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

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites