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.

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

Feast days

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

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

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

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

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

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

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

The two churches

Some masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

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

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The internal colours