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 the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

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

A symbol for the town

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

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

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica