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

A talking palace

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A miniature city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Searching for colour

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

Feast days

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

The church of Carmine

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The theatre of taste

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

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A new site for a new church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A museum to save a tradition

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli