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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

The Burgos crucifix

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

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

A talking palace

A city in colour

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The internal colours

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

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

The city of museums

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A triumph of colour

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The colours of the cathedral

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso