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.

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

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

A feast only for Scicli

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A miniature city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

Feast days

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom