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.

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

A hall for the feasts

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

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

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A triumph of colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The internal colours

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites