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 Staircase of Angels

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

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

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

Searching for colour

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

A talking palace

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

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

New roads for Catania

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

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

The wall comes to life

Discovering the mother church

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

The theatre of taste

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A triumph of colour

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses