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!

The two churches

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Burgos crucifix

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The interior and its masterpieces

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

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

The disastrous earthquake

A majestic and luminous church

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The church of Carmine

Feast days

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A new site for a new city

Discovering the mother church

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

From International Gothic to present day

A prominent church

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Norman apses

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

One city, three sites

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The colours of the cathedral

Prominent façade

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

New roads for Catania

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new site for a new church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The theatre of taste

A city in colour

The Staircase of Angels

A colourful floor

Wonderful quick decorations

A long reconstruction

The internal colours

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

One city, two sites

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

A symbol for the town

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

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

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A hall for the feasts

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The wall comes to life