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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

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

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

The two churches

The city of museums

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

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

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

New roads for Catania

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

Some prestigious works

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