Palazzolo Acreide

Some masterpieces

The church houses splendid works that complete and decorate the interior.
The altar area definitely attracts attention. Composed of a series of wonderful elements, the structure behind the altar is a carving masterpiece.
La struttura dietro l’altare La struttura dietro l’altare
It is richly elaborate and a dozen columns surmounted by putto heads complete the composition. The same attention to detail can be found in the use of colour on the lower part of the structure, completely in marble; the artist chose and combined fragments of blue, red, yellow and white marble.

A little above the altar is the painting by Paolo Tanasi completed in 1827.
The work depicts the Annunciation , one of the most important moments in Christian history when the angel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah. Tanasi chose well-defined colours such as yellow, which highlights the shape of the angel, and blue, which emphasises the corporeality of the Virgin Mary.
In the transept you can see the Madonna del Carmelo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) completely covered in gold. She shines from afar and demands attention. The right nave houses the statue of Santa Teresa (St. Theresa) and as usual, above one of the altars is the depiction of the Holy Family, the Virgin Mary, the Child and John the Baptist.
Un dipinto, dietro l’altare raffigura l’Annunciazione la statua di Santa Teresa Madonna del Carmelo, nel transetto

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A long reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Feast days

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

Searching for colour

Some 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 Giuliano ai Crociferi

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints