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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Between white and black

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

A miniature city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, three sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The two churches

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

A museum to save a tradition

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Many owners, one palace

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

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

A majestic and luminous church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra