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 Santa Maria del Carmelo

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A square as the heart of the city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

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

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

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

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

A talking palace

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

A colourful floor

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A majestic and luminous church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto