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 colours of the cathedral

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

A prominent church

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

Wonderful quick decorations

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Some prestigious works

New roads for Catania

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

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

Feast days

A triumph of colour

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The church of Carmine

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A feast only for Scicli

A majestic and luminous church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new site for a new church

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

One city, three sites

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A museum to save a tradition

The Burgos crucifix

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Limestone, the colour of harmony

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The two churches

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

The city of museums

A colourful floor

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

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

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

Prominent façade

A hall for the feasts

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A small room with a golden entrance

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Staircase of Angels

Between white and black

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Searching for colour

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

The internal colours

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church