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.

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Norman apses

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

Feast days

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Some prestigious works

A museum to save a tradition

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A city in colour

Many owners, one palace

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

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

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The chocolate of Modica

Searching for colour

The disastrous earthquake

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

The internal colours

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

New roads for Catania

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

An eagle-shaped city

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

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

A talking palace

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?