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.

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

A city in colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

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

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

New roads for Catania

A prominent church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A triumph of colour

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

One city, two sites

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

A talking palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The church of Carmine

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A half-Baroque church

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

Many owners, one palace

A symbol for the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Baroque town by the sea

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, three sites

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The interior and its masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

A colourful floor

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

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

From International Gothic to present day

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Maiolica of the staircase

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A small room with a golden entrance

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A majestic and luminous church

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

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A miniature city

Some masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A hall for the feasts

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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