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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The colours of the cathedral

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

Feast days

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A hall for the feasts

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

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The church of Carmine

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

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins