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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

New roads for Catania

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

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

The internal colours

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A museum to save a tradition

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A talking palace

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

One city, three sites

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

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

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata