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 Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

Between white and black

An eagle-shaped city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The chocolate of Modica

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The wall comes to life

One city, two sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A colourful floor

The internal colours

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A new site for a new city

The church of Carmine

A feast only for Scicli

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

Feast days

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Wonderful quick decorations

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

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

Searching for colour

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Feasting in Palazzolo

A city in colour

A majestic and luminous church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A new site for a new church

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Many owners, one palace

Two illustrious patron saints

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

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

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The city of museums

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

A prominent church

A miniature city

The theatre of taste

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Prominent façade

A symbol for the town

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The colours of the cathedral

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

Some prestigious works

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

Discovering the mother church