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 two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

An eagle-shaped city

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town