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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

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

A majestic and luminous church

A long reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some prestigious works

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A square as the heart of the city

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Wonderful quick decorations

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The two churches

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Many owners, one palace

A triumph of colour

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

A half-Baroque church

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The city of museums