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.

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A city in colour

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The city of museums

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 Maria del Carmelo

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

An eagle-shaped city

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A symbol for the town

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Staircase of Angels

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The two churches

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A long reconstruction