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 colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Prominent façade

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

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

Feast days

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

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

A prominent church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

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

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers