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 site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

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

The theatre of taste

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

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

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A colourful floor

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara