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

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

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 two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some masterpieces

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

Norman apses

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

Prominent façade

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition