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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

One city, two sites

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

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

One city, three sites

A prominent church

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

The internal colours

Feast days

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A miniature city

A long reconstruction

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

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

The Burgos crucifix

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city