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 Baroque town by the sea

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A colourful floor

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

The two churches

Feast days

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

A miniature city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

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

A prominent church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The city of museums

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace