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 Maiolica of the staircase

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

A triumph of colour

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The city of museums

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

Norman apses

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

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