Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

Scicli is one of the towns of the ancient County of Modica and is divided into three areas of interest, as described by the great Syracusan writer Elio Vittorini .
The town’s historical centre, included on the World Heritage List in 2002, is situated on the San Matteo hill and characterised by narrow, irregular streets that trace the medieval urban fabric.
The outermost areas near the “quarries” of San Bartolomeo and Santa Maria la Nova are also inhabited.
These important sites prove the presence of settlements since the Copper Age. The new township, a result of the earthquake of 1693, then extends along the Hyblaean plateau towards the sea.
In the mid-17th century Scicli had 11000 inhabitants and around forty churches, but the earthquake destroyed everything.
The most important church, San Matteo (St. Matthew), collapsed and many monasteries and convents suffered the same tragic fate.
Only a few buildings remained standing. What could be done? It was time to act. In this case they chose not to abandon Scicli, but to rebuild it. The town was extended around the oldest area. New civic and religious buildings were built such as the Palazzo Beneventano and the church of San Giovanni Evangelista (St. John the Evangelist).
White limestone was used for the new buildings. A typical material of the area, it was easy to work and sculpt, and bestowed the landscape with a bright and brilliant appearance.
foto della città

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A prominent church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

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

The internal colours

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

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

A long reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

Feast days

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

The colours of the cathedral