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

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

Feast days

A new site for a new city

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

New roads for Catania

One city, three sites

A hall for the feasts

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

One city, two sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The wall comes to life

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

The internal colours

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The city of museums

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A long reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

From International Gothic to present day

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

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

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A colourful floor

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

A feast only for Scicli

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

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?