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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A city in colour

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A miniature city

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

A colourful floor

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new city

Wonderful quick decorations

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Searching for colour

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The chocolate of Modica

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A majestic and luminous church

From International Gothic to present day

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Norman apses

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

The internal colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A talking palace

The Staircase of Angels

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Baroque town by the sea

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

The Burgos crucifix

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

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

Between white and black

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

The wall comes to life