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 city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

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

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

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

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

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

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

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

An eagle-shaped city