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 senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

The two churches

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

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

A city in colour

A miniature city

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

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

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

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

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century