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 Baroque town by the sea

Many owners, one palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Wonderful quick decorations

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Burgos crucifix

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A new site for a new church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The two churches

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The church of Carmine

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

A city in colour

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

An eagle-shaped city

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The internal colours

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

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A long reconstruction

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

New roads for Catania

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

Some prestigious works

The chocolate of Modica

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

Norman apses

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The colours of the cathedral

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The wall comes to life

A majestic and luminous church

One city, two sites

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

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A square as the heart of the city

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?