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 design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A majestic and luminous church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

A city in colour

Some prestigious works

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

Between white and black

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Staircase of Angels

Searching for colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

New roads for Catania

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Many owners, one palace

The disastrous earthquake

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Two illustrious patron saints

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

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

A miniature city

A museum to save a tradition

An eagle-shaped city

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A long reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The wall comes to life

Prominent façade

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A feast only for Scicli

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A symbol for the town

Some masterpieces

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

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

The Burgos crucifix

A small room with a golden entrance

A square as the heart of the city

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From International Gothic to present day

The Maiolica of the staircase

Feasting in Palazzolo

One city, three sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A new site for a new city

The colours of the cathedral

Norman apses

The internal colours

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

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A colourful floor

The two churches

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

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A triumph of colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The interior and its masterpieces