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 site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A talking palace

Prominent façade

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A colourful floor

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Between white and black

The two churches

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A long reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

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

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Searching for colour

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

New roads for Catania

The city of museums