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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

From International Gothic to present day

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The two churches

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

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

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Feast days

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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 Maria del Carmelo

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras