Scicli

A feast only for Scicli

Madonna a Cavallo, Chiesa MadreOn the last Saturday of May the Madonna a Cavallo (Madonna on Horseback) is celebrated in Scicli. This very important feast celebrates the liberation of Christians from Arab rule.
In 1091 Roger I of Sicily and his army freed Scicli from the Saracens, but they didn’t do it all by themselves… The Madonna on horseback came to their aid. Also known as the Madonna delle Milizie (Madonna of the Militia), she miraculously appeared and took part in the final battle. This incredible event could not be forgotten, so it is still celebrated every year.
In her honour, the town is decorated with lights and all the citizens participate in long processions; it is the only feast in the world where a warrior virgin is celebrated.
A play is also put on that tells the story of the battle and the miraculous appearance. To mark this day for remembering the Virgin’s miraculous intervention, typical desserts are prepared called Teste di Turco (“Testi Turcu” in dialect), meaning Turkish Heads. These desserts are an ideological trophy. In fact, their shape is reminiscent of the turbans that covered the heads of the defeated invaders. Despite their inspiration, they are delicious pastry puffs filled with ricotta cheese or custard.

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

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

A talking palace

Some prestigious works

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

Searching for colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The wall comes to life

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A hall for the feasts

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

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

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