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 Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Between white and black

Feast days

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

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

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

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

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

A miniature city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The theatre of taste

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A half-Baroque church

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city