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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

The colours of the cathedral

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

One city, two sites

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

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

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

The wall comes to life

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A symbol for the town

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Staircase of Angels

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Many owners, one palace

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

A new site for a new city

A new site for a new church

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

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

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites