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After the 1693 earthquake, the seventeenth century
Palazzolo revived by flourishing with monuments,
churches and palaces - true valuable works of art.
Palazzolo Acreide, remarkable small tessera of the
eight municipalities of the Val di Noto mosaic, which
have been set under tutelage by the UNESCO,
deserves some accurate attention from the visitor, "due
to the exceptional value of its Baroque architecture
which witnesses the lively brilliance of the
specialized workers engaged in the construction of Val
di Noto after the terrible 1693 earthquake".
If
you
enter Palazzolo Acreide from the Western side, through
via Roma, you can reach Piazza Aldo Moro, in the lower
part of the town, on the Southern side (on the right)
the wide space faces the "Chiesa Madre", dedicated to
San Nicolò, the inside has three naves Latin cross set
with a dome, the trabeation of the cornice shows some
mockclassical architecture designo
Facing the Chiesa Madre, you get the lateral view of the
Church of San Paolo which faces on Piazza San Paolo.
The Church of San Paolo rises from the old church of
Santa Sofia, its most valuable part is its baroque style
façade. It rises in high, on three levels with
pronao. San Paolo Apostolo (Saint Paul the apostle) is
venerated here since he was chosen on 1688 to be the
Patron Saint of Palazzolo Acreide. Further ahead, you
get to Piazza Umberto l. On its western side you can
admire Palazzo Zocco with its interesting figured
trusses. From here, and through via Annunziata you walk
down towards the most Ancient of Palazzolo. This church,
rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, had a mightier design
with three naves. There are three masterpieces of
unquestionable artistic value: the marble altar with
various colours of inlaid marble which represent the
allegory of spring; the seventeenth century baroque
portai enriched by twisted coupled columns; the oil
painting of "Our Lady of the Annunciation" by Antonello
da Messina, exhibited in the Bellomo Museum in Siracusa
Returning to Piazza Umberto I,
you enter on your left via Garibaldi, which is characterized
by seventeenth century buildings; on the right side (n.
127) Palazzo Iudica-Cafici (Caruso at the present date),
having the longest baroque balcony in the world. The big
trusses at n° 27 are grotesque masks different from one
another. Always on the right side, after the staircase of
via Maestranza, stands Palazzo Ferla (n. 115). Leaving via
Garibaldi, on the left, abreast of palazzo Ferla you get
into a tiny street that takes you to the church of San
Antonio Abate, designed on its earlier period with three
naves Latin cross set, but never finished. The
Madonna Addolorata (Our Lady of Sorrows) is mainly worshiped
here. From Piazza San Antonio you go up on the right, cross
via Garibaldi and, walking along via Nicolò Zocco you cross
via Gaetano Italia; walking down on the left you can admire
Palazzo Cappellani (n. 36) early nine hundred, committed to
shelter the show pieces of the Iudica collection; you walk
down towards Piazza Liberazione and from here walking up
through via San Sebastiano you get to the centraI Peoples
Square or Piazza del Popolo where the Church of San
Sebastiano rises majestically with its spectacular flight
of stairs and sumptuous three orders façade. The inside with
three naves has valuable stuccos dating back to 1783 and
several paintings among which Saint Margaret of
Cortona by vito D’Anna. The Town Hall overlooks the People’s
Square or Piazza del Popolo and rises on the site of the
Monastery of the Benedictine nuns (abbey), at present the
building has a mockc1assical architecture design and shows
the liberty style engravings. Along the left side arcade of
the Town Hall winds via Carlo Alberto, from
here into via Machiavelli (third street on the left) where
you can visit the Museum House inside the seventeenth
century Palazzo Ferla-Bonelli, ethno-anthropologic
evidence of the peasantculture, fruit of the great love and
devotion of Antonio Uccello to popular traditions. Further
Chiesa dell'Orologio", taking via Soccorso you get into the
old medieval quarter up to the remains of the Castle. If you
turn back instead, you go into via Carlo Alberto, and a few
meters ahead you get into piazza San Michele where the
Church of San Michele on you can get through via
Macchiavelli up to the church of the Clock " stands with its
beautiful seventeenth century
façade. Simple in its whole, but nevertheless the inside
holds Corinth style columns. Going ahead through via Acre,
above on
the left you get into Corso Vittorio Emanuele, just on your
right side the wide f1ight of stairs that take you into the
Chiesa dell 'Immacolata with its elegant and peculiar convex
façade, unique architectural example among ali the
churches of Palazzolo.
The church houses a precious statue of Our Lady and Child,
"Madonna col Bambino" by Francesco Laurana. Going down
through Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the most centrai and
beautiful street of the town, you can admire the elegant
buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centllry; on thc
left at n° 38 is Palazzo Pizzo-GlIglielmino, wonderflll
example of the sturdy small middle-class baroqlle
bllilding. Further ahead, always on your left (n. lO)
Palazzo Judica , an eighteenth century architectural
evidence with late baroque motifs which fuse with
broad neo-classical decorations; next to this building there
is a beautiful building belonging ging to the same peri od,
built by the Messina-Ruiz family.
 Fol1owing
through Piazza del Popolo, via San Sebastiano, Piazza
Liberazione you get into Piazza Pretura, there stands the
linear and austere Palazzo della Pretura, built around 1880,
it hosts at present the headquarters of the metropolitan
police.
A few meters ahead, in Piazza Marconi you find the Villa
Comunale, the public gardens, a luxuriant historical garden
which surprises the visitors by its variety and beauty of
its flowers. The Villa can be considered as the first
tourist infrastructure of the town. It is a green oasis
where you can find some freshness and peace in the shade of
century old trees during the summer peri od. It might be
considered also a botanical garden due to the great variety
and rareness of its trees, hedges and shrubs. The Town
Council started the construction works on 1880. The
honorary project and site engineer of the public gardens was
Baron Vincezo
Messina di Bibbia a man of letters, poet, and past Major of
the town. Baron Messina di ed tragically during the
construction works in the month of lune 1881. As remembrance
of the distinguished meritorious citizen of Palazzolo, a
marble bust was put up on 1894. The Villa (public gardens)
was developed at first on three paths, a wider centraI one
and two narrower at the sides. On
 1881,
the centraI path was embellished by a stone statue, the
Flora, by Giuseppe Giuliano. A basin with water lilies and
coloured fish was placed in the middle of an elegant pattern
of flower beds. Later, footpaths were created from the
entrance running up to the small woods. In the postwar
period, the footpath which borders via Purbel1a, was
embellished with holm-oaks, dedicated one for each of the
fallen; this small path is known as the path of
"Remembrance". A kiosk (refreshment stand) or
“chioschetto” was buid between the fifties and Sixties and
the ” Rotonda” dance floor). The Villa was further widened
in the seventies.From Piazza Marconi, through via
Margherita, via Savoia, via Macallè you get to via
Nazionale, turning immediately right you will get to the
Church and Convent of the Capuchin friars. The Church was
recently built; the inside has one single nave and six
marble altars, alI of them of refined design. Continuing
along via Nazionale, at almost 300 mL, south-east of the
built-up area, you reach the Monumental Cemetery finished by
1896, full of noble family chapels, mausoleums, middle
class family chapels, small monuments, simple graves. The
most important noble family chapels are of great artistic
value. The visitor will be able to admire the variours
architectural stiles as gothic and liberty |
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