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 the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

The colours of the cathedral

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

The disastrous earthquake

A city in colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Some masterpieces

The chocolate of Modica

Discovering the mother church

The wall comes to life

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

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

A half-Baroque church

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Many owners, one palace

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

The two churches

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A feast only for Scicli

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

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

A prominent church

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

A hall for the feasts

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, three sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

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

Feast days

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

A square as the heart of the city

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels