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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feast days

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A hall for the feasts

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 Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Between white and black

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca