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

Some masterpieces

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The wall comes to life

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

Feast days

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

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

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A small room with a golden entrance

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A symbol for the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The two churches

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Baroque town by the sea

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Many owners, one palace