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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

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

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

The city of museums

One city, two sites

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

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

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

Searching for colour

A miniature city

A talking palace

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

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

One city, three sites

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto