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 Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

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

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

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

Feast days

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The city of museums

A miniature city