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 Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The church of Carmine

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

New roads for Catania

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

The wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Feast days

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

One city, three sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

A triumph of colour

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The two churches

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

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

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