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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Prominent façade

A colourful floor

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

The colours of the cathedral

A city in colour

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Wonderful quick decorations

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A prominent church

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The wall comes to life

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

An eagle-shaped city

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

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

The internal colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

New roads for Catania

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The city of museums

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

A new site for a new city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

A talking palace

One city, two sites

A square as the heart of the city

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

Feast days

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

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

A miniature city

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction