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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

A half-Baroque church

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Norman apses

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

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

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A miniature city

A talking palace

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

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

Some masterpieces

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours