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

Many owners, one palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

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

One city, three sites

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

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

A symbol for the town

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste