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 Maiolica of the staircase

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

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

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

Feast days

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom