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.

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

The wall comes to life

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

The two churches

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

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

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church