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 façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

From International Gothic to present day

The Staircase of Angels

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A long reconstruction

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

The wall comes to life

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

Many owners, one palace

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

The theatre of taste

Prominent façade

Discovering the mother church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Limestone, the colour of harmony

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A museum to save a tradition

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A half-Baroque church

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Feasting in Palazzolo

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

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

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

A city in colour

One city, three sites

A small room with a golden entrance

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new city

A symbol for the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A miniature city

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Burgos crucifix

A square as the heart of the city

The city of museums

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A prominent church

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The church of Carmine

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

The internal colours

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A majestic and luminous church

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo