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.

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

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

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

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

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The city of museums

The two churches

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

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A long reconstruction

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

Norman apses

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

A prominent church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, three sites

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?