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

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Some masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

Searching for colour

Norman apses

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts