Palazzolo Acreide

Some masterpieces

The church houses splendid works that complete and decorate the interior.
The altar area definitely attracts attention. Composed of a series of wonderful elements, the structure behind the altar is a carving masterpiece.
La struttura dietro l’altare La struttura dietro l’altare
It is richly elaborate and a dozen columns surmounted by putto heads complete the composition. The same attention to detail can be found in the use of colour on the lower part of the structure, completely in marble; the artist chose and combined fragments of blue, red, yellow and white marble.

A little above the altar is the painting by Paolo Tanasi completed in 1827.
The work depicts the Annunciation , one of the most important moments in Christian history when the angel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Messiah. Tanasi chose well-defined colours such as yellow, which highlights the shape of the angel, and blue, which emphasises the corporeality of the Virgin Mary.
In the transept you can see the Madonna del Carmelo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel) completely covered in gold. She shines from afar and demands attention. The right nave houses the statue of Santa Teresa (St. Theresa) and as usual, above one of the altars is the depiction of the Holy Family, the Virgin Mary, the Child and John the Baptist.
Un dipinto, dietro l’altare raffigura l’Annunciazione la statua di Santa Teresa Madonna del Carmelo, nel transetto

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

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

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

Discovering the mother church

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

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

The two churches

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

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

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

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara