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.

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, three sites

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

A prominent church

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

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

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

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A miniature city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

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

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feast days

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

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 senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

Prominent façade