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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

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

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

The two churches

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

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints