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 half-Baroque church

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

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

A talking palace

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

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

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life