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.

One city, three sites

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

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

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A triumph of colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

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

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

Feast days

Between white and black

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

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation