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.

Between white and black

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

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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