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.

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A city in colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

The chocolate of Modica

A new site for a new city

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

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

Prominent façade

An eagle-shaped city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

Wonderful quick decorations

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

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

The city of museums

A new site for a new church

The two churches

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The theatre of taste

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

A museum to save a tradition

Between white and black

A square as the heart of the city

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

From International Gothic to present day

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

Norman apses

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Feast days

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A majestic and luminous church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A prominent church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A small room with a golden entrance

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

One city, two sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Maiolica of the staircase

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The disastrous earthquake

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation