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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The two churches

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

The internal colours

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

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A talking palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

Some prestigious works

Norman apses

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

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

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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