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.

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

Norman apses

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

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

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

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

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

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

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

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts