Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of Modica , sat in the middle of the Hyblaean plateau between deep quarries , fits perfectly into the hills of the Hyblaean countryside which is rich in vegetation and typical dry stone walls .Città panoramica ModicaThe inhabited centre is built across two districts, Modica alta (Upper Modica), in a high and rocky hilly area, and Modica bassa (Lower Modica), which is built around two streams.
Corso Umberto ICittà panoramica ModicaThe inhabited history of the Hyblaean city begins a long time ago. In fact, the first settlements date back to 1800-1400 BC.
The city we see today is the result of a transformation that took place after the earthquake of 1693. Unlike other towns in the Val di Noto, Modica was rebuilt on the same site. The city spaces were reorganised and reconstruction was supervised by the monastic orders and the rich and powerful agricultural nobility.
The earthquake destroyed what remained of the old medieval town and gave way to precious and noble residences in the valley floor, as well as imposing and majestic churches, veritable masterpieces of the reconstruction.
The landscape is characterised by the typical Modica stone with infinite shades from beige to white, and quartz veins that make it shine under the hot sun. Until the beginning of the 20th century Modica was crossed by small streams and a series of bridges that connected the various parts of the city. Back then it was decided to bury the streams and the old river became the current street, Corso Umberto, today overlooked by the town hall of Modica and the ancient Palazzo Manenti.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

A symbol for the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Prominent façade

The theatre of taste

The two churches

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

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

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

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The disastrous earthquake

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

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The chocolate of Modica

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The city of museums

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

A talking palace