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.

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The Burgos crucifix

A hall for the feasts

An eagle-shaped city

A square as the heart of the city

The church of Carmine

Some prestigious works

The city of museums

New roads for Catania

The Maiolica of the staircase

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some masterpieces

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

The disastrous earthquake

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

A miniature city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Between white and black

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

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

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

A triumph of colour

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A long reconstruction

A colourful floor

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Searching for colour

A half-Baroque church

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

A small room with a golden entrance

A prominent church

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A new site for a new church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Baroque town by the sea