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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A square as the heart of the city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

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

Between white and black

The internal colours

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

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

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

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca