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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso