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 disastrous earthquake

The two churches

Feast days

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

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The interior and its masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The internal colours

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

The Burgos crucifix

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

A city in colour

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A majestic and luminous church

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

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

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica