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 senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feast days

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

The two churches

One city, three sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

A prominent church

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

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras