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

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A colourful floor

Feasting in Palazzolo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

An eagle-shaped city

Feast days

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

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

A symbol for the town

The two churches

Norman apses

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

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

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The church of Carmine

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

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

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

The wall comes to life

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Discovering the mother church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Prominent façade

A square as the heart of the city

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A prominent church

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

A majestic and luminous church

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A hall for the feasts

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

One city, three sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The city of museums