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

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

A talking palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A city in colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some prestigious works

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Staircase of Angels

The Burgos crucifix

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From International Gothic to present day

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

One city, three sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A prominent church

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A colourful floor

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

Norman apses

A symbol for the town

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

The Baroque town by the sea

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new church

Many owners, one palace

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

A miniature city

One city, two sites

Wonderful quick decorations

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

The two churches

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

The city of museums

The interior and its masterpieces

A triumph of colour