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

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

One city, two sites

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

The church of Carmine

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

Between white and black

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Prominent façade

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A half-Baroque church

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

The Baroque town by the sea

The interior and its masterpieces

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The city of museums

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A hall for the feasts

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

An eagle-shaped city

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

Discovering the mother church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The chocolate of Modica

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new city

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

A city in colour

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

New roads for Catania

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

A colourful floor