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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Some prestigious works

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

A talking palace

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

Prominent façade

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

A new site for a new church

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

Discovering the mother church