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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

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

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The city of museums

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Many owners, one palace

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

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

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

The internal colours

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

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours