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 senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Burgos crucifix

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Between white and black

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

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

The internal colours

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

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

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

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

The two churches

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town