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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

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

Between white and black

The disastrous earthquake

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The theatre of taste

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

A new site for a new city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

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

A prominent church

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

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

A miniature city

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

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

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The church of Carmine

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto