Palazzolo Acreide

One city, three sites

Palazzolo Acreide is located further inland in Syracuse and is one of the oldest towns in the Val di Noto.Also struck by the 1693 earthquake, it was reborn from its rubble in the same location. Here the Baroque style fits in perfectly with the narrow, dense medieval streets.
Light enters the squares, making the façades and the contrasts between the colours stand out.
The town has three different construction phases that illustrate three different historical periods.
The medieval centre, which stood near former Acre, was located on a rocky spur in a strategic position for controlling the territory.
There stood a “palatium”, or imperial palace, which is probably where the name “palatiolum” of the new town came from. The oldest centre of the town was founded seventy years after the city of Syracuse, with which a lasting bond was built.
This new town on the plateau of the Hyblaean Mountains allowed trade between Syracuse and the other southern towns, promoting the spread of Hellenic culture in the centuries to come. After the tragic earthquake, the most important Baroque buildings and squares were built around the main street dedicated to Vittorio Emanuele. Palazzolo Acreide still retains some evidence of the ancient Greek city of Akrai: if you walk along Corso Vittorio Emanuele you’ll reach the Greek theatre .

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

Feast days

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

A majestic and luminous church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

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

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels