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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Norman apses

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A city in colour

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

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

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

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Some masterpieces

Feast days

A new site for a new church

Searching for colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

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

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

An eagle-shaped city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A square as the heart of the city

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

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers