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 prominent church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The church of Carmine

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

The two churches

Searching for colour

A city in colour

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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 Giuliano ai Crociferi

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A feast only for Scicli

The Staircase of Angels

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

The city of museums

A triumph of colour

The Maiolica of the staircase