Modica

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of Modica , sat in the middle of the Hyblaean plateau between deep quarries , fits perfectly into the hills of the Hyblaean countryside which is rich in vegetation and typical dry stone walls .Città panoramica ModicaThe inhabited centre is built across two districts, Modica alta (Upper Modica), in a high and rocky hilly area, and Modica bassa (Lower Modica), which is built around two streams.
Corso Umberto ICittà panoramica ModicaThe inhabited history of the Hyblaean city begins a long time ago. In fact, the first settlements date back to 1800-1400 BC.
The city we see today is the result of a transformation that took place after the earthquake of 1693. Unlike other towns in the Val di Noto, Modica was rebuilt on the same site. The city spaces were reorganised and reconstruction was supervised by the monastic orders and the rich and powerful agricultural nobility.
The earthquake destroyed what remained of the old medieval town and gave way to precious and noble residences in the valley floor, as well as imposing and majestic churches, veritable masterpieces of the reconstruction.
The landscape is characterised by the typical Modica stone with infinite shades from beige to white, and quartz veins that make it shine under the hot sun. Until the beginning of the 20th century Modica was crossed by small streams and a series of bridges that connected the various parts of the city. Back then it was decided to bury the streams and the old river became the current street, Corso Umberto, today overlooked by the town hall of Modica and the ancient Palazzo Manenti.

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The chocolate of Modica

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

Between white and black

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

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

An eagle-shaped city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

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

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A city in colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Searching for colour

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

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Baroque town by the sea

Feast days

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

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

The wall comes to life

A feast only for Scicli

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

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A long reconstruction

One city, two sites

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The internal colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A majestic and luminous church

Many owners, one palace

Norman apses

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

New roads for Catania

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

A square as the heart of the city

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

The Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso