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 Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

A talking palace

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

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

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

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

One city, three sites

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

An eagle-shaped city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Searching for colour

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

The two churches

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

Feast days

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe