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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Discovering the mother church

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

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

Two illustrious patron saints

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

Norman apses

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some prestigious works

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

Feast days

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The internal colours

The city of museums

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

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

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new site for a new church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

A miniature city

One city, two sites