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

New roads for Catania

The internal colours

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The chocolate of Modica

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

A small room with a golden entrance

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

One city, three sites

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

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

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The disastrous earthquake

A feast only for Scicli

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A long reconstruction

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Between white and black

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Feasting in Palazzolo

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Burgos crucifix

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

A symbol for the town

The church of Carmine

A new site for a new city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A half-Baroque church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A miniature city

A square as the heart of the city

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The theatre of taste

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The wall comes to life

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

A talking palace

A colourful floor

A city in colour

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

One city, two sites