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.

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

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

A city in colour

A colourful floor

The two churches

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Discovering the mother church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

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

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction