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 façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Norman apses

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

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

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

Some prestigious works

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

The two churches

A long reconstruction

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

One city, three sites

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A city in colour

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Staircase of Angels