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 Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

Two illustrious patron saints

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

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

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church