Modica

From International Gothic to present day

interno chiesa dall’ingresso verso l’altareThe interior of the church of Carmine features a classic Sicilian maiolica floor paired with a snow white wall with some architectural elements in relief such as capitals , arches, columns and the trabeation .
Their combination produces plays of light and shadow, achieved thanks to the rays of sunlight filtering through the windows. The altars, paintings such as the panel of St. Albert and the sculptural complex of the Annunciation add colour to and illuminate the church of Carmine. The white wooden structure behind the main altar is wonderful, embellished with golden stuccoes in the centre of which is the Madonna and Child.
foto dettaglio trabeazione foto dettaglio trabeazione
An astonishing discovery was made a few years ago: to the right of the apse , hidden in the wall, was the entrance to a side chapel of medieval, late-Gothic times. Traces remain of its ancient decoration and the funerary room beneath the floor.
struttura dietro l’altare

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

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

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

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

A majestic and luminous church

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A symbol for the town

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Norman apses

A triumph of colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

The wall comes to life