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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

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

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, three sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

A talking palace

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The church of Carmine

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The internal colours

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

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

The two churches

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A prominent church