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 senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new site for a new city

The two churches

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

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

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

A prominent church

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

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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