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.

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

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

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

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

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph