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 museum to save a tradition

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A majestic and luminous church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

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

A miniature city

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Staircase of Angels

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

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

The city of museums

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

The colours of the cathedral

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Some masterpieces

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

New roads for Catania

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras