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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Between white and black

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

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Wonderful quick decorations

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

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

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

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

One city, three sites

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours