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 feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

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

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci