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 church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

A museum to save a tradition

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Wonderful quick decorations

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The theatre of taste

A small room with a golden entrance

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The internal colours

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

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

The two churches

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The Burgos crucifix

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

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

Some masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A Nobel Prize in Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Between white and black

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

One city, two sites

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Baroque town by the sea

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

Searching for colour

A city in colour

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom