Modica

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

hearing
A small monumental organ

Organo santa maria del carmeloSongs and notes accompany the celebrations as they did centuries ago.
The organ is made of wood, small in size, and placed above the entrance. Made in the second half of the 18th century, it is one of the few still working.
The music of those who still know how to play the instrument enchants and accompanies the worshippers as they experience the moment of prayer more intensely, just like in the past.

touch
Watch what you paint on

Different materials, different techniques!
In order to paint on a canvas, panel or wall, an artist must master every technique. Painting on canvas means using a soft media with a fairly smooth surface.
Panels, like the one of St. Albert, are hard, made of wood and very irregular, and can have higher and lower sections. Finally, in order to fresco a wall, an artist must lay out an even base to achieve a smooth surface on which to place the colour.
For any painting to be successful, an artist must, therefore, have excellent knowledge of the technique and materials.

sight
A beautiful rose window

The church of Carmine is an example of medieval architecture where the central rose window is still intact.
The only one of its kind, it has a very unusual decoration.
Instead of the usual floral elements, the stonemason created mini-columns surmounted by small capitals, each one different from the other and ready to converge in the centre.
It is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship that demonstrates the skill of its unknown artist.

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A triumph of colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

New roads for Catania

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

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

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Maiolica of the staircase

One city, two sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

Many owners, one palace

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

Discovering the mother church

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

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

The city of museums

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

Feasting in Palazzolo

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The two churches

A talking palace

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

Searching for colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Norman apses

A city in colour

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci