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 Baroque town by the sea

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A hall for the feasts

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Burgos crucifix

A miniature city

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

A new site for a new city

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The internal colours

A colourful floor

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A prominent church

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

A majestic and luminous church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life

The disastrous earthquake

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Norman apses

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

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

The Staircase of Angels

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The church of Carmine

A square as the heart of the city

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

One city, two sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

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

Searching for colour

A symbol for the town

A long reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A triumph of colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

Many owners, one palace

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

The city of museums

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites