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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

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

A new site for a new city

A city in colour

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

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

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

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

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

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

A square as the heart of the city

A long reconstruction

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

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

Some masterpieces

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

A miniature city

Searching for colour