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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The disastrous earthquake

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From International Gothic to present day

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Many owners, one palace

A half-Baroque church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

Some masterpieces

A miniature city

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The chocolate of Modica

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A symbol for the town

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

Discovering the mother church

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

New roads for Catania

A majestic and luminous church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Baroque town by the sea

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

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

A talking palace

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Maiolica of the staircase

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The church of Carmine

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The interior and its masterpieces

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A small room with a golden entrance

A triumph of colour

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The city of museums

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Burgos crucifix

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A square as the heart of the city

A hall for the feasts

One city, three sites

The two churches

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Searching for colour

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The theatre of taste

A museum to save a tradition

The internal colours

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A prominent church

Between white and black

One city, two sites

The Staircase of Angels

The character of Badia Sant’Agata