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

An eagle-shaped city

The interior and its masterpieces

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new site for a new church

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

A miniature city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

One city, three sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

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

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Some masterpieces

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

Feast days

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

Wonderful quick decorations

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A talking palace

A feast only for Scicli

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?