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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

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

A colourful floor

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The theatre of taste

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

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

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life