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.

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The internal colours

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, three sites

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

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

A long reconstruction

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

Between white and black

Searching for colour

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

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

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A miniature city

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

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!