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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

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

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

One city, two sites

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

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

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

Norman apses

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

A city in colour