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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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 church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

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

The internal colours

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

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

One city, three sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Staircase of Angels

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

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

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites