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 miniature city

A city in colour

The internal colours

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

A colourful floor

The chocolate of Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Norman apses

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The two churches

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

A feast only for Scicli

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

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

Prominent façade

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feast days

Between white and black

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Baroque town by the sea

Feasting in Palazzolo

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

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

A new site for a new church

One city, three sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The wall comes to life

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library