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 long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

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

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

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

A colourful floor

Feast days

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Discovering the mother church