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.

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

The internal colours

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A half-Baroque church

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

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

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Burgos crucifix

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction