Palazzolo Acreide

The two churches

The two main churches of Palazzolo Acreide, the Church of San Paolo (St. Paul) and the Church of San Sebastiano (St. Sebastian), are excellent examples of the particular late Baroque style.
  
They stand out from the other buildings in the town and hold particular significance.
Each with their own style, they form a theatrical setting that characterises the town space, so much so that their surrounding districts are named after them.
The great value of the two religious buildings is given by the interesting architectural features and the rich, elaborate decorations preserved inside. Both were rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake to demonstrate the wealth possessed by the local confraternities.
Religious feasts are very popular in Palazzolo Acreide! They take place from June to October and are dedicated to the town’s patron saints.
The feast of St. Paul the Apostle (29th June) ) has very ancient origins, is internationally celebrated and attracts thousands of worshippers and tourists every year. The same can be said of the feast in honour of St. Sebastian to whom almost the entire month of August is dedicated.

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A museum to save a tradition

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

A triumph of colour

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

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

A feast only for Scicli

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The church of Carmine

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

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

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

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica