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 Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A prominent church

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The theatre of taste

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

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

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

The internal colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

The wall comes to life

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

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

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

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts