UNESCO heritage and village of flavors, Palazzolo Acreide is located in the Free Municipal Consortium of Syracuse.
It is a destination not yet discovered by the great mass tourism, therefore it preserves completely intact the traditional atmosphere of the small provincial town, a town, however, ready to receive its visitors with incredible beauties such as the Church of San Sebastiano or the Basilica of San Paolo, between streets and alleys that since the eighteenth century have been chasing each other on the slopes of the Ible Mountainsi.
The history of Palazzolo Acreide
Palazzolo Acreide Today it is a town of about 8.000 inhabitants in the province of Syracuse, but its history is very ancient and the Corinthians, the ancient Greeks who founded Akrai in 664 BC which later became Palazzolo Acreide, walked its streets.
Later, the Romans arrived, traces of which are visible in the decumanus that cuts the town from east to west; moreover, the area was also inhabited by Christians, as evidenced by the numerous burials found in the XNUMXth century by the explorations of Baron Judica. In the XNUMXth century the territory was conquered by the Arabs, but the oldest phase of the centre, dating back even before the arrival of the Greeks, can be identified from the remains of the Pinita, the pre-Greek necropolis still shrouded in mystery today.
The modern center of Palazzolo Acreide dates back to the eighteenth century and is mainly the expression of Baroque style which in that period spread throughout Sicily, but also here, as in most of the Val di Noto, the buildings were almost completely built (or rebuilt) after 1693, the year in which the terrible earthquake with a moment-magnitude of 7,7 struck and destroyed many towns in eastern Sicily.
In 2002 some buildings of Palazzolo Acreide are declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
What to see in Palazzolo Acreide
Starting with the two UNESCO sites of Palazzolo Acreide, you can discover the main beauties of the country. There Church of San Sebastiano it is the Basilica that it overlooks Piazza del Popolowhere it takes place San Sebastian Festival. In the whole Municipality, this is the largest sacred building and was built between 1721 and 1780 in Baroque style. Inside, the Basilica houses many works of art, such as the Martyrdom of Saint Agatha of Quintavalle, San Mauro del Tanasi or San Rocco by Di Domenico, but the artists who contributed to making this church magnificent, including painters, sculptors and architects, are also many others. The other UNESCO World Heritage monument is the Basilica of San Paolo, built in the same period and custodian of sacred canvases such as the Baptism of Jesus of Crestador, but also of works that are certainly no less fascinating, although made by unknown authors. The Mother Church of Palazzolo Acreide is instead the Church of St. Nicholas.
Among the military architectures of the village, we advise you to visit the Medieval castle, abandoned after the earthquake, whose remains are found on the rock to the north-west of the town; another symbol of the ancient history of the area is the Greek Theatre, located on the western outskirts of Palazzolo, not far from the Senabard Caves. The Palazzo Comunale is one of the attractions not to be missed in the centre, while in the surroundings of the village, you will find the delightful “Santa Lucia” Water Mill Museum and the centers of Buscemi and Giarratana, to be visited in the day.
Among the museums in the centre, we recommend that you visit the Gabriele Judica Archaeological Museum and Museum of Travelers of Sicily, to discover the history of the area and the Sicilian stages of the Grand Tour which brought the greatest artists of Europe to Sicily from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXth century.
Awards, traditions and flavors of Palazzolo Acreide
Palazzolo Acreide, stage of Grand Tour e UNESCO heritage has always been recognized as an essential destination for those visiting South-Eastern Sicily. If the ancient prints and drawings that represented Palazzolo in past centuries are kept in the Travellers' Museum, the 2002 recognition consecrated Palazzolo Acreide in the Olympus of Italian art history and today anyone who wants to visit one of the most beautiful villages in eastern Sicily must go to Palazzolo. Here visitors will also discover much-loved ancient traditions such as Carnival, Easter and the Feasts of Saints (in honor of San Paolo, San Sebastiano, San Michele and Our Lady of Sorrows) including concerts, solemn masses and fireworks.
Finally, speaking of a town in Sicily, one cannot leave out at least a small mention of the delicious ones traditional dishes, which you will find on the menus of the best restaurants in Palazzolo Acreide, such as ravioli filled with ricotta and black pork, sausage, but also mushrooms and local truffles, as well as the ever-present desserts such as cannoli or Sicilian cassata.
How to get to Palazzolo Acreide
Palazzolo Acreide, in the province of Syracuse, can be reached easily in the car via the Catania-Siracusa motorway from the exit for Priolo-Gargallo Sud, or from the A18 Messina-Catania, turning at the exit for Melilli.
Alternatively, you can travel on the train to Ragusa station and then continue towards the center by bus or shuttle.
© Image by David Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
