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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

Searching for colour

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A feast only for Scicli

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania