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 Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A city in colour

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

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

The church of Carmine

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

A square as the heart of the city

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

Feast days

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some masterpieces

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

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

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

Discovering the mother church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

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

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A miniature city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Searching for colour

Prominent façade

A talking palace

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

New roads for Catania

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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