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 disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

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

A city in colour

The city of museums

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

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

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

One city, three sites

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

New roads for Catania

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

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Wonderful quick decorations

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A prominent church

A small room with a golden entrance

A miniature city

Between white and black

A new site for a new city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours