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 wall comes to life

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A symbol for the town

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

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

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

A city in colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

Feast days

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

Discovering the mother church

The church of Carmine

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A museum to save a tradition

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new city

A square as the heart of the city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

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

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches