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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A majestic and luminous church

A triumph of colour

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

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

Many owners, one palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A long reconstruction

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

A talking palace

Searching for colour

One city, two sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A colourful floor

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A hall for the feasts

A new site for a new city

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century