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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

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

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

Feast days

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

A prominent church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The two churches

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

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

A half-Baroque church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

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

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some prestigious works

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

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

A triumph of colour

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The theatre of taste

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra