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 cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A new site for a new city

Some masterpieces

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Wonderful quick decorations

A hall for the feasts

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The theatre of taste

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new church

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The internal colours

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

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

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea