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

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The colours of the cathedral

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The two churches

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A colourful floor

A prominent church

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

A talking palace

The Burgos crucifix

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

Between white and black

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Discovering the mother church

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites