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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Feast days

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

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 Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

From International Gothic to present day

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

One city, two sites

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

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city