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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

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

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

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

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento