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 Giovanni Evangelista

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Feast days

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

Many owners, one palace

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The internal colours

A new site for a new city

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A miniature city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Discovering the mother church

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A talking palace

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

The disastrous earthquake

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

The church of Carmine

Searching for colour

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

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, two sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

A colourful floor

One city, three sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A majestic and luminous church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom