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.

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

New roads for Catania

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A feast only for Scicli

The internal colours

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

A triumph of colour

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A prominent church

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Some prestigious works

The two churches

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The interior and its masterpieces

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

A majestic and luminous church

A colourful floor

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The chocolate of Modica

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

A city in colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The colours of the cathedral

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A square as the heart of the city

A museum to save a tradition

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

Norman apses

Some masterpieces

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

Searching for colour

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The disastrous earthquake

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints