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

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

Some prestigious works

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

A majestic and luminous church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A city in colour

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

A symbol for the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Searching for colour

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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