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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

A talking palace

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

A city in colour

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The interior and its masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The theatre of taste

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new city

The city of museums

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

A prominent church

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

Between white and black

A long reconstruction

The two churches

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

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

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feasting in Palazzolo

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

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

A miniature city

One city, two sites

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Burgos crucifix

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

One city, three sites

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

Norman apses

Wonderful quick decorations

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

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

A small room with a golden entrance