Palazzolo Acreide

A half-Baroque church

The church of the Annunziata is located on Via dell’Annunziata, not far from Via Roma.foto della chiesa dalla strada
It is one of the oldest churches in Palazzolo, probably built between the 12th and 14th centuries.
It was not spared by the tragic earthquake of 1693 and was partially destroyed.
The confraternity of the Annunziata wasted no time in overseeing the reconstruction. The Baroque façade was redesigned according to a design by Giuseppe Ferrara.
The entrance is preceded by a particular triangular-shaped parvis enclosed by a small wall and surmounted by small pillars. Unfortunately the façade remained unfinished. Only the main portal and the decorations around it were completed; four Solomonic columns ,two on each side, and the trabeation stand out.

zoom chiesa dell'Annunziata
chiesa dell'Annunziata

Le colonne tortili foto del portale
The richness and attention paid to the masterful decorations is striking. Quince, grapes, figs, pomegranates, cherub , faces, festoons, abstract elements and plant elements were all carved with extreme precision.

Zoom le decorazioni delle colonne
le decorazioni delle colonne

The church was redesigned with three naves with large arches to divide the main nave from the smaller one; the white walls were elevated with gilded stucco decoration; the white and dark grey floor, which reproduces an abstract design on the ground characterised by the strong contrast of the two stones, adds personality.

particolari delle Colonne tortili  particolari delle colonne tortili

interno dall’ingresso all’altare il pavimento bianco e grigio scuro Dettaglio pavimentazione

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Wonderful quick decorations

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Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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The Maiolica of the staircase

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Searching for colour

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

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Norman apses

A symbol for the town

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Some prestigious works

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Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

A city in colour

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

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Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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The chocolate of Modica

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

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A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

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

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

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

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church