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 square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

One city, two sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Burgos crucifix

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

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 colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours