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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Between white and black

The interior and its masterpieces

A city in colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A long reconstruction

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

A triumph of colour

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The theatre of taste

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins