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.

A new site for a new city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Many owners, one palace

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The colours of the cathedral

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

One city, two sites

A miniature city

A hall for the feasts

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

A talking palace

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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 disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Feast days

The church of Carmine

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

One city, three sites

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

A new site for a new church

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

Searching for colour

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

The theatre of taste

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

New roads for Catania

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Some masterpieces

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?