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 Burgos crucifix

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Prominent façade

The internal colours

Norman apses

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

The chocolate of Modica

A talking palace

A small room with a golden entrance

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

The church of Carmine

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A prominent church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The city of museums

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

New roads for Catania

Many owners, one palace

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A symbol for the town

The interior and its masterpieces

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Some masterpieces

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, two sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

Feast days

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

A colourful floor

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

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

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