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

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

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

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

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

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

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

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

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento