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.

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

One city, three sites

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

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

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)