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 Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

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

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The disastrous earthquake

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

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

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The theatre of taste

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

The city of museums