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

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

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

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

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

The city of museums

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

Feast days

A prominent church

Norman apses

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

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

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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