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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A square as the heart of the city

A majestic and luminous church

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The colours of the cathedral

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

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

A prominent church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

The city of museums

A long reconstruction

The two churches

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

A half-Baroque church

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

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

An eagle-shaped city