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 city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

Between white and black

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The chocolate of Modica

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A small room with a golden entrance

Feasting in Palazzolo

The internal colours

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A square as the heart of the city

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

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

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

New roads for Catania

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

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

A new site for a new church

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade