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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A talking palace

A city in colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feast days

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

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

The church of Carmine

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A museum to save a tradition

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces