Travel Guide Palazzolo Acreide

The ancient Greek Akrai, one of the first colonies founded by the Syracusans in 664 BC, was involved in the Syracusan wars and fell under Roman rule. Both civilizations left important traces here. Today it is a very beautiful and welcoming city of about 10,000 inhabitants. The city, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, has baroque churches, alleys, courtyards with medieval look, and master palaces where the Sicilian baroque is mixed with the Bourbon style or the more recent Liberty style. The churches are, of course, numerous and baroque. San Paolo, with a façade richly decorated with statues and decorations on three levels, San Sebastiano, piazza del Popolo. At the top of a majestic staircase is a beautiful, richly carved three-tiered limestone façade. Dating from the 15th century, the church originally had a single nave. Two were added in the 17th and 18th centuries. It contains precious works of art, including a 15th-century statue. The Dell'Annunziata church, in via Annunziata, dates back to the beginning of the 15th century, but was remodelled in the 18th century to develop a flamboyant baroque facade with its four twisted columns embellished with fruit friezes. Inside there is a 17th century marble altar. Then the church of San Antonio, in via Garibaldi, whose façade is a fine example of Romanesque art. The mother church, in Piazza Aldo Moro, is of medieval sacred architecture. Inside you can see a Martyrdom of Saint Hippolytus by Pietro Novelli