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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new site for a new church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Many owners, one palace

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

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

The city of museums

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The colours of the cathedral

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, two sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

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

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

Feast days

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church