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.

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A feast only for Scicli

A miniature city

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Prominent façade

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

A museum to save a tradition

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

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

The city of museums

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour

Feasting in Palazzolo

The theatre of taste

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

The Baroque town by the sea

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

The Staircase of Angels

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The two churches

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

Norman apses

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

Some masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Between white and black

Searching for colour

New roads for Catania

The chocolate of Modica

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A new site for a new city

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The colours of the cathedral

A small room with a golden entrance

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

A long reconstruction

From International Gothic to present day

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The internal colours

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation