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.

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

Discovering the mother church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The city of museums

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

The church of Carmine

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A symbol for the town

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A colourful floor

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

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

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras