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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Baroque town by the sea

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

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

From International Gothic to present day

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

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

The chocolate of Modica

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, two sites

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feast days

Some prestigious works

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A colourful floor

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new church

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

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

The internal colours

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

A prominent church

The wall comes to life

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A hall for the feasts

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour