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 colours of the cathedral

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

A new site for a new church

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

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new city

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

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The chocolate of Modica

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

A half-Baroque church

The theatre of taste

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Many owners, one palace

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

Some prestigious works

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A talking palace

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

St. Sebastian, so much work!

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

Feasting in Palazzolo

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Searching for colour

A colourful floor

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Prominent façade

Wonderful quick decorations

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

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

The internal colours

A museum to save a tradition

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

The city of museums

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

From International Gothic to present day

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The church of Carmine

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Maiolica of the staircase

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

A city in colour