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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

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

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

The interior and its masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A city in colour

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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