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 staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

One city, three sites

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

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

Between white and black

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

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

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

Prominent façade

A city in colour

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

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

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

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords