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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The theatre of taste

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A symbol for the town

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

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

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

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

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

A city in colour