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 Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

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

The Staircase of Angels

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A hall for the feasts

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A miniature city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

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

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

A small room with a golden entrance

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

The two churches

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

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

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

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

Feast days

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

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

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Between white and black

A symbol for the town