Militello in Val di Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Inside the courtyard of the Barresi-Branciforte castle is the Fontana della Ninfa Zizza (Fountain of the Nymph Zizza), dating back to 1607.foto fontana zizza frontale d’insieme The rich family, who was very attentive to its citizens, funded a series of public works. It was responsible for building the aqueduct that brought water from the source in the Zizza quarter to the castle, where the fountain provided water for the entire community. It was the town’s first source of public drinking water, an event of great importance at the time.
This work, attributed to Giandomenico Gagini , is located on a terraced wall and inserted in an aedicula with half columns framing the marble bas-relief of the girl Zizza, from whose breasts the water flows; to the right and left of the aedicula are two lion heads inserted in niches , while at the base there is an octagonal basin surmounted by satyr ‘s mask.


The original bas-relief has been kept in the former convent of San Domenico (St. Dominic) since the 1990s due to weather degradation and was restored in 2006. Legend has it that the young Zizza, a shepherdess in love with Lembasi, was betrothed in an unwanted marriage, so she transformed into a spring and her love turned into a stream.
The story was published in 1623 by Pietro Carrera, a historian and scholar who was part of the Branciforte court.

The two churches

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

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

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

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

Many owners, one palace

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A talking palace

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Searching for colour

Prominent façade