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.

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, two sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

A city in colour

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A half-Baroque church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Feast days

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Prominent façade

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feasting in Palazzolo

Some masterpieces

A talking palace

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The Baroque town by the sea

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

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

The wall comes to life

A new site for a new city

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

The Burgos crucifix

An eagle-shaped city

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A square as the heart of the city

A symbol for the town

Wonderful quick decorations

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The colours of the cathedral

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The interior and its masterpieces

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

The two churches

The church of Carmine

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A miniature city

Many owners, one palace

Between white and black

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

From International Gothic to present day

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A majestic and luminous church

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A colourful floor

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

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

Searching for colour