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.

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

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

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day