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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

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

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

A long reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

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

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

The two churches

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Many owners, one palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church