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 chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Searching for colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Two illustrious patron saints

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The wall comes to life

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

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

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

One city, three sites

A talking palace

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

The two churches

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A new site for a new city

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A small room with a golden entrance

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

Some masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

A square as the heart of the city

A prominent church

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A long reconstruction

The disastrous earthquake

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

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

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

An eagle-shaped city

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A museum to save a tradition

A miniature city

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Wonderful quick decorations

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

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

A hall for the feasts

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

One city, two sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Feast days

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A city in colour