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 theatre of taste

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

A talking palace

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The Burgos crucifix

A prominent church

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A new site for a new city

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

A museum to save a tradition

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A triumph of colour

The Baroque town by the sea

Between white and black

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

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

Wonderful quick decorations

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The interior and its masterpieces

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The disastrous earthquake

The internal colours

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A long reconstruction

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, two sites

The chocolate of Modica

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

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

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A colourful floor

Feast days

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

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

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

Some masterpieces

The church of Carmine

The two churches

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

New roads for Catania

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

One city, three sites

A majestic and luminous church

A small room with a golden entrance

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

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