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

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

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

A half-Baroque church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

New roads for Catania

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A talking palace

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

Between white and black

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

A prominent church

The Burgos crucifix

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

A miniature city

One city, two sites

A feast only for Scicli

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The city of museums

Searching for colour

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

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The church of Carmine

The interior and its masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

Norman apses

The theatre of taste

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

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

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century