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

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

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

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

A miniature city

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A prominent church

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

The chocolate of Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new church

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

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

Norman apses

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works