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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

A half-Baroque church

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

A long reconstruction

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

Prominent façade

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

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

The two churches

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

An eagle-shaped city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new church

A prominent church

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

The interior and its masterpieces