Palazzolo Acreide - World Heritage Site

Palazzolo is a charming town in southeastern Sicily famous for its Baroque architecture, its UNESCO heritage status, and its traditional Sicilian cuisine.
The town is situated at the foot of the Iblei Mountains and is 42 km from the coast (Syracuse).
Its history dates back to the ancient Greeks and has been shaped by various civilizations.
Palazzolo is home to some of the most beautiful Baroque architecture in the world, including splendid monuments:

Akrai was founded by the Greeks in 664 BC, on a hill called Acremonte overlooking the Anapo valley here you can find a very large archaeological area where the Greek Theater, discovered by Baron Gabriele Iudica in 1842, is located.
Its construction dates back to the second century B.C., through a narrow tunnel there was access to the Boleuterion; this “theater” of modest size compared to the previous one was the place where the Acrense senate met.
Close to the theater are the remains of the Temple of Aphrodite.
To the southeast, on the other hand, are the latomie known as theIntagliata andIntagliatella, initially used as stone quarries for the construction of the town, later, depending on the eras, they were used both as dwellings and as places of worship and burial grounds.
Moving a little way to the foot of a hill we will find the Santoni, twelve bas-reliefs carved on limestone, which extend for about 30 meters and document the worship of the Acrensians towards the goddess Cybele or Magna Mater.
Leaving the beautiful archaeological area behind and descending toward the town, you will find the San Michele district, including the Church of San Michele and the Church of the Immaculate Conception, inside which you can admire the fine statue of the “Madonna and Child” by Francesco Laurana.

Taking Carlo Alberto Street on the right you will find the House Museum of Antonino Uccello, an anthropology scholar with a passion for Sicilian folk culture, who has collected and studied objects, work tools, glass paintings, and posters of the puppet opera for more than 30 years.
He has reproduced some period rooms in order to narrate how the common activities of a peasant were carried out, for example, bread-making with a wood-burning oven, the production of ricotta cheese with all the necessary tools, weaving with a treadle loom, and even an oil mill reconstructed on a pre-existing model in the palace.
Continuing along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, one arrives at Piazza del Popolo where the Art Nouveau-style Town Hall stands and on a majestic flight of steps rises the Church of San Sebastiano.
This one rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, remained only with the first order until the mid-18th century and was completed with the bell tower around 1768.
The Villa Comunale was desired by Baron Bibbia, and inside you can admire a variety of flowers and plants that make a visit pleasant and enjoyable.
At the end of the main avenue currently stands the stone statue of the Gardener, the work of S. Giuliano in 1882; in the middle of a hedge is the marble bust of Vincenzo Messina, Baron of Bibbia, the work of D.co Costantino in 1880.
Going down Via Garibaldi on the right you will find the Church of St. Anthony, in which the statue of Maria S.S. Addolorata is venerated, and on the left you will find Palazzo Iudica (now Caruso) famous for its longest Baroque balcony in Europe.
The central corbels are 27 masks with “slapstick” different from each other, called in slang “cagnoli,” these depictions seem to have a mysterious allegorical meaning.
Continuing along Via Garibaldi you will arrive in the district of San Paolo where it is possible to see the majestic Basilica of San Paolo rebuilt in Baroque style after the 1693 earthquake, where the cult of the city’s patron saint, St. Paul, is celebrated.
To the left of the basilica you will find the Mother Church, the oldest in Palazzolo dating back to 1200.
The facade was rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, and like much of the church, it is very classical and linear.
Crossing Piazza Umberto, in which you can see the house where journalist Giuseppe Fava was born, and going down Via Annunziata you will catch sight of a small Baroque gem, the Church of the Annunziata.
This is one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the town thanks to its facade adorned with four splendid twin twisted columns, in which agrestic motifs and festoons of fruit are depicted.
The famous painting “Annunciation” by Antonello da Messina was commissioned for this church, which was kept in the church until 1906 when it was purchased by the superintendency.
With the motivation of preservation and restoration, the painting was transported to Syracuse; to this day it is on display at the Bellomo Museum.
Climbing the steps that flank the basilica of St. Paul leads to the “Castel Vecchio” district; here are the ruins of the ancient Norman castle.
The castle overlooked the Anapo valley. As a result of recent studies, the area of the baglio grande, baglio piccolo, noble palace has been identified, and the remains of towers, a cistern and much more are visible.
On Via Gaetano Italia you can visit the “Gabriele Iudica” Archaeological Museum.
The museum’s collection comes from the findings of Baron Gabriele Judica, who carried out excavations at the site of Akrai in the early 19th century.
The important collection of materials was kept in his palace and kept intact until the opening of a museum dedicated to him on December 27, 2014, in the palace of the Cappellani della Formica and Pirainito Family; an ancient noble family from Palazzolo.
On Maestranza Street you can visit the Museum of Travelers in Sicily that was also created thanks to the constant efforts of Prof. Francesca Gringeri Pantano.
The museum is housed in a religious building dating from the 1600s and rebuilt in the 1800s as a private home, called Palazzo Vaccaro and now owned by the city.
The collection contains notes and annotations, often accompanied by maps and drawings, of travelers who arrived in Sicily between the 1700s and 1800s, leaving graphic and descriptive records.
Among the most important testimonies is that of French architect jean Houel.
The museum has at its disposal a very large collection that includes evidence from all over Sicily, so additional exhibition space is being equipped in the museum.
The museum of travelers in Sicily is divided into three sections:
– Syracuse and the Hyblaean territory in the Voyage pittoresque edited by Abbot Jean – Claude Richard de Saint – Non.
– From Syracuse to Ragusa through the Iblei in Voyage pittoresque by <<Peintre du Rei>> Jean Houel.
– The rock sanctuary ( Santoni ) of the goddess Cybele at Palazzolo Acreide in Houel’s engravings.