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 square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

A miniature city

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Baroque town by the sea

Searching for colour

Feast days

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

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

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

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

A museum to save a tradition

The Staircase of Angels

A prominent church

A new site for a new city

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The city of museums

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Prominent façade

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

The church of Carmine

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

The internal colours

Between white and black

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century