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

The internal colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A small room with a golden entrance

Feast days

Searching for colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

Some masterpieces

Norman apses

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

One city, two sites

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The disastrous earthquake

A museum to save a tradition

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

A long reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

An eagle-shaped city

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

A city in colour

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new city

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

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

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A half-Baroque church

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Many owners, one palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

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