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.

The two churches

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

The interior and its masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A hall for the feasts

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

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

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

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 Giovanni Battista

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A triumph of colour

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

A long reconstruction

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church