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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

The two churches

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Norman apses

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

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

Searching for colour

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A museum to save a tradition

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The city of museums

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

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

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

New roads for Catania

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

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

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels