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

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

Prominent façade

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

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

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

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

The two churches

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?