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.

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The city of museums

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

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

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

The interior and its masterpieces

The theatre of taste

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A hall for the feasts

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The wall comes to life

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

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

Searching for colour

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

A new site for a new church

An eagle-shaped city

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Wonderful quick decorations

Norman apses

One city, three sites

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The internal colours

Discovering the mother church

The Burgos crucifix

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A feast only for Scicli

Feasting in Palazzolo

A prominent church

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

A majestic and luminous church

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

Many owners, one palace

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A city in colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The chocolate of Modica

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Two illustrious patron saints

The two churches

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

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

A triumph of colour

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A long reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

Some prestigious works

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A miniature city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A square as the heart of the city

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Maiolica of the staircase

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Between white and black

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century