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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

Norman apses

Discovering the mother church

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

Some masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A square as the heart of the city

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The theatre of taste

The Baroque town by the sea

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

A half-Baroque church

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

The city of museums

The wall comes to life

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano