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

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A square as the heart of the city

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

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

Between white and black

A talking palace

The internal colours

A half-Baroque church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces

A prominent church

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

A city in colour

Discovering the mother church