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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

Feast days

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Burgos crucifix

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

The Staircase of Angels

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The church of Carmine

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

Two illustrious patron saints

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

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

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

From International Gothic to present day

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica