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.

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Discovering the mother church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Norman apses

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A triumph of colour

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

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

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A miniature city

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Some prestigious works

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

One city, three sites

From International Gothic to present day

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

A new site for a new church

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Some masterpieces

One city, two sites

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Many owners, one palace

The wall comes to life

The chocolate of Modica

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

The interior and its masterpieces

A square as the heart of the city

A city in colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Prominent façade

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

The colours of the cathedral

The theatre of taste

A prominent church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake