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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

Some prestigious works

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

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

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Modica, a city with ancient origins

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town