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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A triumph of colour

A prominent church

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

Feast days

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The city of museums

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

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

Some prestigious works

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph