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 theatre of taste

Searching for colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

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

A colourful floor

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

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

A city in colour

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction