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.

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A hall for the feasts

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A half-Baroque church

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

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

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

Feast days

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake