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.

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Some prestigious works

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A long reconstruction

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

The two churches

Feasting in Palazzolo

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A square as the heart of the city

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

An eagle-shaped city

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

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A colourful floor

Norman apses

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The colours of the cathedral

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Searching for colour

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Baroque town by the sea

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

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

A feast only for Scicli

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A majestic and luminous church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The disastrous earthquake

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

The chocolate of Modica

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Discovering the mother church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A prominent church

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

Two illustrious patron saints

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The city of museums

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento