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

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A colourful floor

A triumph of colour

A city in colour

A prominent church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Wonderful quick decorations

The chocolate of Modica

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Discovering the mother church

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

Many owners, one palace

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A new site for a new city

The theatre of taste

Between white and black

Norman apses

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Two illustrious patron saints

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

A new site for a new church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A hall for the feasts

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

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

A museum to save a tradition

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

Some masterpieces

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The church of Carmine

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A miniature city

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A talking palace

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The city of museums

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

A long reconstruction

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A feast only for Scicli

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church