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 the contrast of the exterior to the internal jubilation of colours

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

Feast days

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The church of Carmine

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some masterpieces

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

A prominent church

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

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A hall for the feasts

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A city in colour

Norman apses

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

A colourful floor

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A museum to save a tradition

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The two churches

New roads for Catania

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A small room with a golden entrance

A long reconstruction

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto