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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

From International Gothic to present day

Between white and black

Wonderful quick decorations

The church of Carmine

The city of museums

A colourful floor

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The theatre of taste

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Norman apses

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A miniature city

New roads for Catania

Searching for colour

The Burgos crucifix

A feast only for Scicli

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

Feast days

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

A talking palace

A half-Baroque church

The wall comes to life

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some prestigious works

A triumph of colour

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The internal colours

The chocolate of Modica

A city in colour

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A square as the heart of the city

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

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano