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.

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

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

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

Between white and black

A talking palace

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

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

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

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

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

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

A colourful floor

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days