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 wall comes to life

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The two churches

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Connections with other UNESCO sites

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

Between white and black

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A symbol for the town

Discovering the mother church

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

A small room with a golden entrance

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

The chocolate of Modica

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

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

A city in colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A long reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

A majestic and luminous church

The Staircase of Angels

A hall for the feasts

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

The theatre of taste

The church of Carmine

Many owners, one palace

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

A square as the heart of the city

New roads for Catania

A colourful floor

A museum to save a tradition

A feast only for Scicli

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feasting in Palazzolo

The city of museums

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade