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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

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

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

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites