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.

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

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

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

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

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

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The disastrous earthquake

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