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 half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A small room with a golden entrance

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Prominent façade

Between white and black

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A majestic and luminous church

The theatre of taste

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

Norman apses

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

A hall for the feasts

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A talking palace

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A colourful floor

A miniature city

Discovering the mother church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

One city, three sites

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Some prestigious works

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

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feast days

A new site for a new city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The church of Carmine

Feasting in Palazzolo

New roads for Catania

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

The internal colours

The two churches

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

A feast only for Scicli

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Staircase of Angels

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

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The wall comes to life

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

One city, two sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata