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.

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

A prominent church

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

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

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

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

The church of Carmine

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

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

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

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