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

The Staircase of Angels

Some prestigious works

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

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

New roads for Catania

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

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

The colours of the cathedral

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A hall for the feasts

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

The disastrous earthquake

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A triumph of colour

A colourful floor

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Feast days

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A miniature city

Wonderful quick decorations

A feast only for Scicli

A symbol for the town

A museum to save a tradition

A talking palace

Many owners, one palace

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Searching for colour

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

The theatre of taste

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

The city of museums

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A majestic and luminous church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

A new site for a new city

An eagle-shaped city

Some masterpieces

One city, three sites

A long reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Prominent façade

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A half-Baroque church

The internal colours

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

The Maiolica of the staircase

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new site for a new church

The wall comes to life

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A square as the heart of the city

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

A city in colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Norman apses

From International Gothic to present day

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites