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.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From International Gothic to present day

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

The city of museums

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

Norman apses

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The interior and its masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A half-Baroque church

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Staircase of Angels

The wall comes to life

The colours of the cathedral

The Baroque town by the sea

A colourful floor

Between white and black

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

Discovering the mother church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

A triumph of colour

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

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A feast only for Scicli

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A miniature city

An eagle-shaped city

The two churches

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Prominent façade

New roads for Catania

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The theatre of taste