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 Benedictine Monastery and San NicoIò l’Arena

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

A triumph of colour

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

A majestic and luminous church

A square as the heart of the city

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

New roads for Catania

Prominent façade

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Feast days

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The Baroque town by the sea

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

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

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A half-Baroque church

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction