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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The two churches

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A miniature city

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours