Last Updated on 10 February 2025
Introduction
In this article I explain what to see in Palazzolo Acreide. The town has a population of less than 10,000 and yet it really has a lot to offer from a cultural point of view. It was the Greeks who formed the first urban center in 664 B.C., which they called Akrai and which is located in close proximity to the modern town. The real Palazzolo Acreide dates back to the Norman period, when a first nucleus developed around the castle. Later it was destroyed like many other towns in the area by the earthquake of 1693 and like the other centers, it was rebuilt in the beautiful Sicilian Baroque style .
The name of the town derives from Akrai, which in Greek means top, while palazzolo derives from the name that the Normans gave it, Palatiolum, due to the presence of an imperial palace .
Palazzolo Acreide is not as well known as perhaps the not-so-distant Noto, but it really is a little gem of the Syracuse area.
What to see in Palazzolo Acreide
People’s Square
At Piazza Acre you can park your car and walk towards the beautiful Piazza del Popolo, passing through Corso Vittorio Emanuele and its elegant buildings.
As soon as you arrive at the square here is where a magnificent view of the Baroque church of San Sebastiano will open up before your eyes. The beautiful staircase in front of the entrance gives it majesty and elegance, characteristics of which the church has regained itself thanks to the recent restorations. It stands majestically also thanks to the stairways that characterize it with the classic white / soft yellow color of the recently restored Sicilian Baroque. On the left there is the Municipal Palace built in 1908 in Art Nouveau style.
Antonino Uccello House Museum
Museum of Travelers in Sicily
This museum is also located in a palace, the seventeenth-century Palazzo Vaccaro. It is a collection of maps, books, geographical maps of the past, between 1600 and 1800. An excellent opportunity to see Sicily through the eyes of past travelers from various countries.
Gabriele Judica Archaeological Museum
The museum was recently inaugurated, exactly in 2014 and was set up in the splendid Palazzo Cappellani. It is a fantastic exhibition of over 2000 artifacts found by Baron Gabriele Judica in the 19th century. Artifacts discovered in the ancient Greek city of Akrai, not far from the town of Palazzolo Acreide. In addition to this there are also historical testimonies coming from the territory of Lentinoi , an ancient Greek city near the modern Lentini.
Moro Square and surroundings
The square was once the center of the medieval city, only to be completely destroyed by the earthquake. On the square there are the Mother Church and the Church of S. Paolo, built in the first half of the 18th century . Along the street of the same name is the small church of the Annunziata, from the 14th century with the characteristic incomplete and original facade.
Akrai Archaeological Park
Not far from the center of Palazzolo Acreide in an elevated position with respect to the rest of the town, there is the beautiful archaeological area of Akrai , whose main road preserves a stretch of the magnificent lava stone pavement. As soon as you enter there is the Greek theater , dating back to the third century BC and then modified by the Romans, like the Greek theater of Taormina . Next to the small theater is the bouleuterion which was used for ancient Greek political meetings.
Behind the Greek theater, the complex of the quarries of the Intagliata and the Intagliatella is very fascinating. In the past these were stone quarries also used by the Greeks themselves for construction. Here they were then transformed over time into Greek necropolises, Roman tombs, early Christian tombs and even as dwellings by the Byzantines (About this read the article on the Byzantine village). Very beautiful is the 1st-century B.C. bas-relief carved on the rock at the entrance to the Intagliata necropolis, depicting a warrior between a sacrificial scene and a banquet of heroes. The purpose of these reliefs was to celebrate the dead as deified heroes.
Santoni and Feral Temples of Palazzolo Acreide
In the vicinity of the archaeological area, there are the Santoni and the feral Temples. The Santoni are a complex of 12 large rock sculptures from the IV-III century BC carved into the rock, dedicated to the Greek divinity Cybele. It is a really noteworthy place, very particular. Unfortunately the sculptures are in a bad state of conservation, but restoration operations should start shortly.
Tours are not possible every day, so I suggest you ask about it in the ticket office of the archaeological area.
Before the Santoni are the Ferali Temples, quarries whose walls are covered with votive tablets (pinakes) dedicated to the cult of the heroicized dead. It is not possible to enter, but can be observed from the street.
Medieval Quarter and Castle
Near the Basilica of St. Paul is access to the beautiful medieval quarter, which is really very characteristic. Entering the uphill streets you arrive at the ruins of the Norman Castle, from where you will have a beautiful view over the town .
Villa of Palazzolo Acreide
Really very beautiful and well-kept. It is the ideal place to relax after perhaps a very active day around Palazzolo Acreide. The villa was commissioned by the baron Vincenzo Messina of Bible writer and also mayor of the town at the end of the nineteenth century.
Top Secret Council: Senabardo Cave
The Grotta di Senebardo is a little known place, recently freed from scrub and open to the public. It is a Byzantine cave from the 6th century AD with a central cistern and some valuable canopied tombs . It is said that it was the Byzantine prince Senebardo who had these catacombs excavated for himself and for the nobility close to him. Writings dating back to that period are still visible.
Where and what to eat in Palazzolo Acreide
I recommend La Trattoria del Gallo and Quel Che C’e’ restaurant. The food is quality and you can try many local specialties.
As for the desserts you can go to the Caprice pastry shop , where you will find many local specialties.
Palazzolo Acreide is part of the province of Syracuse. If you want to discover the typical dishes of the area, here you can find an article on what to eat in Syracuse and surroundings .
Here instead you find the typical Sicilian dishes and products in general.
Interactive map of Palazzolo Acreide – Points of interest in purple
To locate yourself once in the area, click on the enlarge symbol at the top right of the map.
_1.jpg){kind=link}
