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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Discovering the mother church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The church of Carmine

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Between white and black

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

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

The internal colours

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony