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 story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A long reconstruction

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

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

A symbol for the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata