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 Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

A majestic and luminous church

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

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

Some masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Burgos crucifix

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

A city in colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

Two illustrious patron saints

The disastrous earthquake

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

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Many owners, one palace