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 new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

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

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

A half-Baroque church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Between white and black

One city, three sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The wall comes to life

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

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

Feast days

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

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

A long reconstruction

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

Some prestigious works

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A new site for a new church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Wonderful quick decorations