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 new palace for the La Rocca lords

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Discovering the mother church

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

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The church of Carmine

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new church

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The disastrous earthquake

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

A miniature city

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

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

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra