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 new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

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

Searching for colour

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

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

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

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

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

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

The city of museums