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 Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, two sites

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

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

The disastrous earthquake

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Some masterpieces