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 the Annunciation

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A long reconstruction

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

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

A new site for a new city

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

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

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces