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 palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

An eagle-shaped city

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

A new site for a new city

The chocolate of Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A symbol for the town

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

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

Discovering the mother church

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Norman apses

A hall for the feasts

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

New roads for Catania

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Prominent façade

A majestic and luminous church

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

The city of museums

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, three sites

Feast days

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Many owners, one palace

The internal colours

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

A long reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

A city in colour

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

The Staircase of Angels

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A colourful floor

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction