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 Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

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

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace