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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, two sites

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

A prominent church

Between white and black

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

New roads for Catania

A triumph of colour

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

The two churches

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

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

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some prestigious works