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.

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

A colourful floor

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

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

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

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

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A prominent church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

Discovering the mother church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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