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

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

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

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

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 Benedetto

Searching for colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

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

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

The theatre of taste

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

A colourful floor

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A majestic and luminous church

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites