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 chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, three sites

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

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

Feast days

A colourful floor

A talking palace

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

Some prestigious works

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

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

A miniature city

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new site for a new city

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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