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 Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A majestic and luminous church

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

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

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The theatre of taste

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

The internal colours

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

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

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

Norman apses

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

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo