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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

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

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

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

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

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

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

The city of museums

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

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Norman apses

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

Some prestigious works

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

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

Feast days

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new church

A colourful floor

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Many owners, one palace

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 Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library