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

A triumph of colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Between white and black

From International Gothic to present day

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Discovering the mother church

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

A symbol for the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

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

The Staircase of Angels

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The wall comes to life

A long reconstruction

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses