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 church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The disastrous earthquake

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

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

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

A symbol for the town

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

Searching for colour

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

An eagle-shaped city

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

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

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days