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Visit Palazzolo Acreide
Palazzolo Acreide and the ancient site of Akrai are situated in south-east Sicily, inland to the west of Syracuse.
While it is the ruins at Akrai that attract the most attention from visitors, the town of Palazzolo-Acreide itself deserves exploring, above all for the churches it contains.
The Old Town of Palazzolo Acreide stands out for its typical Baroque style, and it can be assessed from the “Piazza del Popolo”, where there is the church of “San Sebastiano”, with a façade of three levels on a high staircase, built in the late 19th century. It curves with three overlapping levels in the late Renaissance style: the first level is characterized by a portal flanked by four Corinthian columns, the second is characterized by four columns, among them a large electric clock. The third level includes the lodge bell with two bells. The interior of the church has three naves, where a painting of “Saint Margaret of Cortona”, by Vito d 'Anna (1718-1769) stands out.
Saint Paul's Church, built in the first half of the eighteenth century, has a Baroque style facade, with the central arch supported by two Corinthian columns. The church has three naves, richly decorated with stucco of the eighteenth century and a wooden pulpit (also 18th century). The Altar is composed of four pairs of columns with Corinthian capitals. In the midst of the altar stands a wooden statue of St. Paul the Apostle, by Vincenzo Lorefice (16th century).
To the side of St. Paul's Church is located the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas. The interior has three naves, and the cornice entablature is of Baroque style. The interior is rich in paintings by Olivio Sozzi (1690-1765) and Mario Minniti (1577-1640).
The Church of the Annunciation is the oldest in Palazzolo Acreide; probably built in the 13th century - it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693 and rebuilt by Matteo Tranisi (17th century). The exterior of the church stands out for the wide portal, which is characterized by four spiral columns decorated with vine shoots and friezes in a naturalistic style. The church has three naves decorated with several paintings, among which we mention the 'Annunciation', by Paolo Tanasi (19th century), a local painter.
Finally, we remind visitors that the Anapo Valley around Piazzolo Acreide stands out for the beauty of its country landscape and traditions, which are celebrated in honor of St. Paul (June) and St. Sebastian (January), periods in which tourists can enjoy some local products and typical dishes, like the macaroni called "maccu", ravioli with ricotta, risotto with mushrooms, the "Cavatelli" and the noodles with special seasonings. Among the main courses stand out the pork steaks and sausage, loins of veal, kebabs, roast meats and fried rabbit. Among the desserts we mention the "Cannolicchi" and all specialties with ricotta and almonds.
See also Palazzolo Acreide history and etymology.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Palazzolo Acreide.