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.

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The interior and its masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

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

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Feast days

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

A museum to save a tradition

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A symbol for the town

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

A colourful floor

A city in colour

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

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata