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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A triumph of colour

The church of Carmine

The Burgos crucifix

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Many owners, one palace

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

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

One city, three sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Staircase of Angels

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A museum to save a tradition

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Two illustrious patron saints

A new site for a new church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A city in colour

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

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

A symbol for the town

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feast days

Some prestigious works

The two churches

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A colourful floor