Scicli

A feast only for Scicli

Madonna a Cavallo, Chiesa MadreOn the last Saturday of May the Madonna a Cavallo (Madonna on Horseback) is celebrated in Scicli. This very important feast celebrates the liberation of Christians from Arab rule.
In 1091 Roger I of Sicily and his army freed Scicli from the Saracens, but they didn’t do it all by themselves… The Madonna on horseback came to their aid. Also known as the Madonna delle Milizie (Madonna of the Militia), she miraculously appeared and took part in the final battle. This incredible event could not be forgotten, so it is still celebrated every year.
In her honour, the town is decorated with lights and all the citizens participate in long processions; it is the only feast in the world where a warrior virgin is celebrated.
A play is also put on that tells the story of the battle and the miraculous appearance. To mark this day for remembering the Virgin’s miraculous intervention, typical desserts are prepared called Teste di Turco (“Testi Turcu” in dialect), meaning Turkish Heads. These desserts are an ideological trophy. In fact, their shape is reminiscent of the turbans that covered the heads of the defeated invaders. Despite their inspiration, they are delicious pastry puffs filled with ricotta cheese or custard.

A prominent church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A talking palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The church of Carmine

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The city of museums

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public