Modica

Some prestigious works

Inside the church there are valuable works of art including the Tavola di Sant’Alberto (Panel of St. Albert), the Madonna del Latte and the Annunciation. The former was perhaps part of a polyptych, a painting composition that also included other panels.
The painting depicts St. Albert with a lily and a book in one hand and a crucifix in the other. The work dates back to the early 16th century. According to some scholars the panel was painted between 1513 and 1517 by Leonardo da Vinci’s student, Cesare de Sesto, when he lived in Sicily.
The Madonna del Latte is an interesting sculpture made of papier-mâché, a much more delicate material than classic marble, wood or bronze. The work dates from around the 14th century and is located to the right of the church atrium.
scultura Madonna del Latte tela santa maria maddalena
The Annunciation is a sculptural group in white marble, created by the workshop of a Palermo-born artist, Giandomenico Gagini.
The faces of the angel and the Virgin were carved with extreme delicateness and both the blue dress of Mary and the angel’s hair were finely coloured.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giovanni Evangelista

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The theatre of taste

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giovanni Battista

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Church of San Giuliano (St. Julian) on Via dei Crociferi: reconstruction

Feast days

A museum to save a tradition

The role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Mother Church of San Nicolò and of the Santissimo Salvatore

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Giuliano ai Crociferi

Freedom of worship and the role of the Catholic Church in the diffusion of Baroque

The city of museums

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours