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

Wonderful quick decorations

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A feast only for Scicli

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Baroque town by the sea

A prominent church

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A talking palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

A majestic and luminous church

The colours of the cathedral

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

A triumph of colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

A long reconstruction

The church of Carmine

Norman apses

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

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

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The wall comes to life