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 senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

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

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Feasting in Palazzolo

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city