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 disastrous earthquake

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The wall comes to life

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The internal colours

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

A square as the heart of the city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A majestic and luminous church

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A colourful floor

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A talking palace

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

A half-Baroque church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

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

One city, three sites

The church of Carmine

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A symbol for the town

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Searching for colour

A city in colour

Prominent façade

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

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

Some masterpieces

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Many owners, one palace

Some prestigious works

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

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction