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 story of the staircase of Santa Maria del Monte

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The theatre of taste

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

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

The internal colours

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

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

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A triumph of colour

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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