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 senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some prestigious works

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

Norman apses

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

Feasting in Palazzolo

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, three sites

A symbol for the town

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

One city, two sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Burgos crucifix

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Searching for colour

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A city in colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

New roads for Catania

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

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

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new church

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

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 city of museums

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

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

Feast days

The church of Carmine

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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