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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

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

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

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

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

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

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Staircase of Angels

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

Feast days

A city in colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Burgos crucifix

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano