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 internal colours

The two churches

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A hall for the feasts

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

Feast days

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

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A miniature city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

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

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Discovering the mother church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

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

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The theatre of taste