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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The theatre of taste

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

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

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

Many owners, one palace

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The two churches

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

A city in colour

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

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

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

A half-Baroque church

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Feast days