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

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

A city in colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

The theatre of taste

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

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

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

A feast only for Scicli

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony