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 senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

Prominent façade

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The city of museums

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica

New roads for Catania

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

Norman apses

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some masterpieces

A new site for a new city

From International Gothic to present day

Two illustrious patron saints

A symbol for the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

The theatre of taste

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The internal colours

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A square as the heart of the city

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

A hall for the feasts

One city, two sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Maiolica of the staircase

A long reconstruction

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

A museum to save a tradition

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The two churches

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, three sites

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

A miniature city

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

Feast days

Wonderful quick decorations

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A triumph of colour

The Staircase of Angels

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

A majestic and luminous church