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.

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new site for a new church

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

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

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

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

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

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

One city, two sites

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A colourful floor

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses