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.

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Prominent façade

Feast days

The church of Carmine

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A miniature city

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

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A new site for a new city

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

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

A prominent church

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

A museum to save a tradition

One city, two sites

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

The wall comes to life

The Burgos crucifix

A city in colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Searching for colour

The two churches

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

One city, three sites

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The interior and its masterpieces

The colours of the cathedral

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A triumph of colour

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Wonderful quick decorations

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

Norman apses

An eagle-shaped city

A talking palace

A hall for the feasts

The chocolate of Modica

The internal colours

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A feast only for Scicli

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Between white and black

A majestic and luminous church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Two illustrious patron saints

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

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

Some masterpieces

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The city of museums

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony