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 La Rocca

The disastrous earthquake

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Searching for colour

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A new site for a new church

Norman apses

The two churches

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A feast only for Scicli

One city, three sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A half-Baroque church

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

An eagle-shaped city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

Between white and black

Some prestigious works

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Connections with other UNESCO sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A long reconstruction

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe