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 triumph of colour

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Norman apses

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

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

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Feasting in Palazzolo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

A long reconstruction

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A feast only for Scicli