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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

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

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

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

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Between white and black

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

The theatre of taste

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

One city, three sites

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feasting in Palazzolo

Discovering the mother church

Searching for colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

From International Gothic to present day

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

A hall for the feasts

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A colourful floor

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

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

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A symbol for the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A prominent church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The colours of the cathedral

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica