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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The internal colours

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

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

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The character of Badia Sant’Agata