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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

A new site for a new church

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A half-Baroque church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Norman apses

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

New roads for Catania