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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A square as the heart of the city

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

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

A city in colour

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

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

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

New roads for Catania

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

A talking palace

A colourful floor

The theatre of taste

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A prominent church

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

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

Feast days

A triumph of colour

Some masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Searching for colour

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

The interior and its masterpieces

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

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

A symbol for the town

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

The church of Carmine

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

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

The chocolate of Modica

The disastrous earthquake

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Norman apses

The Maiolica of the staircase

An eagle-shaped city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Between white and black

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The two churches

Some prestigious works

One city, two sites

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

The internal colours

Wonderful quick decorations