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 church

A half-Baroque church

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A hall for the feasts

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace