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

New roads for Catania

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Many owners, one palace

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

A hall for the feasts

A square as the heart of the city

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

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Between white and black

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

Feast days

Norman apses

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

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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 the Annunciation

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The disastrous earthquake

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A museum to save a tradition

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new city

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The chocolate of Modica

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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