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 talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

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

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

Discovering the mother church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church