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 role of the religious orders in rebuilding the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

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

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

Feast days

The colours of the cathedral

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Staircase of Angels

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

A miniature city

A prominent church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

A museum to save a tradition

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

The theatre of taste

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

Many owners, one palace

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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