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.

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

The two churches

A city in colour

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

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A majestic and luminous church

Feast days

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A talking palace

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The disastrous earthquake

Feasting in Palazzolo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

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