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 Maiolica of the staircase

A half-Baroque church

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, three sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

New roads for Catania

Feasting in Palazzolo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The disastrous earthquake

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A museum to save a tradition

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

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

A new site for a new church

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

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

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

A symbol for the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Some prestigious works

Some masterpieces

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

Wonderful quick decorations

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Discovering the mother church

A prominent church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A miniature city

From International Gothic to present day

The Burgos crucifix

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A hall for the feasts

A talking palace

The colours of the cathedral

A majestic and luminous church

Norman apses

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The theatre of taste

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

Between white and black

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

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

A feast only for Scicli

A long reconstruction

Prominent façade

Two illustrious patron saints

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

A new site for a new city

The wall comes to life