Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches

The two main churches of Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Paolo (St. Paul) and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), are excellent examples of the particular late Baroque style.
  
They stand out from the other buildings in the town and hold particular significance.
Each with their own style, they form a theatrical setting that characterises the town space, so much so that their surrounding districts are named after them.
The great value of the two religious buildings is given by the interesting architectural features and the rich, elaborate decorations preserved inside. Both were rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to demonstrate the wealth possessed by the local confraternities.
Religious feasts are very popular in Palazzolo Acreide! They take place from June to October and are dedicated to the town’s patron saints.
The feast of St. Paul the Apostle (29th June) ) has very ancient origins, is internationally celebrated and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists every year. The same can be said of the feast in honour of St. Sebastian to whom almost the entire month of August is dedicated.

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

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

A new site for a new city

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

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

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation