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 story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

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

The colours of the cathedral

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Feast days

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Many owners, one palace

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

An eagle-shaped city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

A miniature city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new church

Prominent façade

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The church of Carmine

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Staircase of Angels

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

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

A triumph of colour

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

A talking palace

The theatre of taste

One city, two sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca