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 long reconstruction

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

A new site for a new city

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

New roads for Catania

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A colourful floor

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

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

A city in colour

The two churches

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A triumph of colour

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

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

The chocolate of Modica

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

One city, two sites

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

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

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace