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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

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

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces