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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A colourful floor

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The two churches

The internal colours

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

Between white and black

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

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

Prominent façade

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

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

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

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

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

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine