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

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A new site for a new city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Norman apses

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The two churches

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

The theatre of taste

Discovering the mother church

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Baroque town by the sea

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A talking palace

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From International Gothic to present day

The disastrous earthquake

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

A prominent church

A hall for the feasts

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

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

A feast only for Scicli

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

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

The church of Carmine

A symbol for the town

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces