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 new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

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

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

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

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feast days

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century