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 Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

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

A triumph of colour

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The city of museums

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

A miniature city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

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

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition