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

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Staircase of Angels

One city, three sites

One city, two sites

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A museum to save a tradition

A colourful floor

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

Many owners, one palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

A city in colour

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

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

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

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

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

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A talking palace

New roads for Catania