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 church of Carmine

New roads for Catania

A half-Baroque church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A new site for a new city

The internal colours

The two churches

A colourful floor

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Feast days

An eagle-shaped city

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Staircase of Angels

A long reconstruction

A city in colour

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

Prominent façade

The Baroque town by the sea

A new site for a new church

The Burgos crucifix

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The disastrous earthquake

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

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

The wall comes to life

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Two illustrious patron saints

The city of museums

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

One city, two sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The interior and its masterpieces

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

From International Gothic to present day

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Maiolica of the staircase

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The theatre of taste

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Between white and black

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A symbol for the town

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

A talking palace

Discovering the mother church

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

Searching for colour

The chocolate of Modica

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some prestigious works

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city