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 the story of the Badia di Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Between white and black

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

A square as the heart of the city

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

Some prestigious works

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

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

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A triumph of colour

The theatre of taste

The wall comes to life

New roads for Catania

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Feast days

A majestic and luminous church

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

Some masterpieces

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

A long reconstruction

A hall for the feasts

A symbol for the town

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

One city, two sites

A prominent church

Prominent façade

A city in colour

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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 Battista

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A half-Baroque church

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Searching for colour

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Discovering the mother church

A new site for a new church

The church of Carmine

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A museum to save a tradition

The chocolate of Modica

Norman apses

A small room with a golden entrance

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Wonderful quick decorations

An eagle-shaped city

The city of museums

A talking palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)