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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

A square as the heart of the city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A feast only for Scicli

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

A city in colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feast days

A symbol for the town