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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

One city, three sites

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A prominent church

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

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

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

A new site for a new church

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

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

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church