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

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

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

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

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The two churches

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto