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 triumph of colour

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Prominent façade

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A long reconstruction

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

One city, two sites

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A feast only for Scicli

New roads for Catania

Some prestigious works

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church

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

Many owners, one palace

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

A new site for a new city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

Feast days

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A majestic and luminous church

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A talking palace

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition