Palazzolo Acreide

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

sight
Infinite lights and colours

How wonderful!
The light and colours inside the church of San Sebastiano leave everyone breathless!
The crystal chandeliers shine and the surfaces around them reflect and light up in turn.
The marble columns shine and the blue, green and yellow stained glass windows filter warm rays of sunshine.
Full of colour, the church interior is tinged with black and white from the floor, accompanied by the yellow and light grey of the columns, and the white and gold of the walls. navata laterale lampadari accesi

hearing
21 cannon shots

The feast of San Sebastiano is an important moment for all worshippers and the whole country. Citizens gather together to honour the patron saint.
Every year on 10th August at 8:15 am, twenty-one cannon shots precede the departure of the bread cart, accompanied by music, for the traditional collection of “cuddure” (ring-shaped biscuits), offered to St. Sebastian.
Loud noises, firecrackers, music, voices and shouting can be heard early in the morning.

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

A long reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

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

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

An eagle-shaped city