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.

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The two churches

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

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Feast days

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

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

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

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 Giuliano ai Crociferi

Wonderful quick decorations

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some masterpieces

New roads for Catania

A square as the heart of the city

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo