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 palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new site for a new church

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Feast days

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A square as the heart of the city

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, three sites

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A city in colour

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city