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 Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

Norman apses

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

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

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara