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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

Many owners, one palace

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

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

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Searching for colour

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

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

Norman apses

A miniature city

A prominent church

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city