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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

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

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

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

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

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 Giovanni Evangelista

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

A museum to save a tradition

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

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints