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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A feast only for Scicli

A hall for the feasts

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

Norman apses

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

A museum to save a tradition

Searching for colour

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A colourful floor

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

Some prestigious works

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A triumph of colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A miniature city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new city

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

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

A symbol for the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

One city, two sites

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The city of museums

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The two churches

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

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

Discovering the mother church