Palazzolo Acreide

A half-Baroque church

The church of the Annunziata is located on Via dell’Annunziata, not far from Via Roma.foto della chiesa dalla strada
It is one of the oldest churches in Palazzolo, probably built between the 12th and 14th centuries.
It was not spared by the tragic earthquake of 1693 and was partially destroyed.
The confraternity of the Annunziata wasted no time in overseeing the reconstruction. The Baroque façade was redesigned according to a design by Giuseppe Ferrara.
The entrance is preceded by a particular triangular-shaped parvis enclosed by a small wall and surmounted by small pillars. Unfortunately the façade remained unfinished. Only the main portal and the decorations around it were completed; four Solomonic columns ,two on each side, and the trabeation stand out.

zoom chiesa dell'Annunziata
chiesa dell'Annunziata

Le colonne tortili foto del portale
The richness and attention paid to the masterful decorations is striking. Quince, grapes, figs, pomegranates, cherub , faces, festoons, abstract elements and plant elements were all carved with extreme precision.

Zoom le decorazioni delle colonne
le decorazioni delle colonne

The church was redesigned with three naves with large arches to divide the main nave from the smaller one; the white walls were elevated with gilded stucco decoration; the white and dark grey floor, which reproduces an abstract design on the ground characterised by the strong contrast of the two stones, adds personality.

particolari delle Colonne tortili  particolari delle colonne tortili

interno dall’ingresso all’altare il pavimento bianco e grigio scuro Dettaglio pavimentazione

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

One city, three sites

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

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

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A symbol for the town

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

The theatre of taste

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

The internal colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

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

A long reconstruction

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour