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 city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

A long reconstruction

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A prominent church

An eagle-shaped city

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

The Staircase of Angels

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

The internal colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

A colourful floor

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

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The interior and its masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A symbol for the town

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

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

A triumph of colour

A hall for the feasts

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara