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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Wonderful quick decorations

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Many owners, one palace

A new site for a new church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

A symbol for the town

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

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

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

A new site for a new city

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some prestigious works

Feast days

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

A prominent church

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Maiolica of the staircase

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A miniature city

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

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras