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

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

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

A half-Baroque church

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The theatre of taste

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

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

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

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

Discovering the mother church

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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 Giovanni Evangelista

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A square as the heart of the city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The two churches

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

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The church of Carmine

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

A city in colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A long reconstruction

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

Some masterpieces

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A miniature city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

A colourful floor

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The interior and its masterpieces