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 Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A talking palace

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Prominent façade

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

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

An eagle-shaped city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A city in colour

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

Searching for colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

A majestic and luminous church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The two churches

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

The chocolate of Modica

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

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Wonderful quick decorations

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

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

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

A new site for a new church

Feast days

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

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The internal colours

Norman apses

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

A half-Baroque church

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, two sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

Two illustrious patron saints

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

Some prestigious works

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph