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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

An eagle-shaped city

Searching for colour

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

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The church of Carmine

The chocolate of Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

From International Gothic to present day

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

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

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The disastrous earthquake