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

Two illustrious patron saints

Between white and black

The church of Carmine

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

The colours of the cathedral

The Burgos crucifix

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Prominent façade

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A colourful floor

The city of museums

Many owners, one palace

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The theatre of taste

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

A symbol for the town

Searching for colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

Norman apses

A square as the heart of the city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A prominent church

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Some masterpieces

Feast days

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A triumph of colour

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The two churches

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

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