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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new city

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

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

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

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

One city, two sites

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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 Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

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

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe