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 Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

From International Gothic to present day

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

Discovering the mother church

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase