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.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the 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 Giovanni Evangelista

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A talking palace

Norman apses

One city, three sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

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

A city in colour

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Baroque town by the sea