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 church of Carmine

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

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

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

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Prominent façade

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

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

An eagle-shaped city

Many owners, one palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

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

The wall comes to life