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 majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

A prominent church

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A museum to save a tradition

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

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

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

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

A talking palace

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A city in colour

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new site for a new city

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

A half-Baroque church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata