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 the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A city in colour

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

A prominent church

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Many owners, one palace

The Baroque town by the sea

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

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

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A triumph of colour

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

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

The disastrous earthquake

A symbol for the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Some masterpieces