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 theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

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

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The chocolate of Modica

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

The city of museums

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento