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 Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Norman apses

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

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

One city, three sites

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

Feast days

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake