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 story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

An eagle-shaped city

A symbol for the town

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

A small room with a golden entrance

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The theatre of taste

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The internal colours

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The chocolate of Modica

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

A feast only for Scicli

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

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

Many owners, one palace

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The interior and its masterpieces

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

The Baroque town by the sea

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feast days

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

The church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

A new site for a new church