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

New roads for Catania

A talking palace

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new church

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Between white and black

The internal colours

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

One city, three sites

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

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

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

The Staircase of Angels

A half-Baroque church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A small room with a golden entrance

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Prominent façade

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

Two illustrious patron saints

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Some masterpieces

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Baroque town by the sea

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The theatre of taste

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From International Gothic to present day

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

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

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

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A city in colour

A miniature city

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour