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 Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

The Baroque town by the sea

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Norman apses

Searching for colour

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

A small room with a golden entrance

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A majestic and luminous church

The two churches

An eagle-shaped city

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

A feast only for Scicli

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The interior and its masterpieces

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

From International Gothic to present day

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The church of Carmine

The colours of the cathedral

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

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Two illustrious patron saints

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Between white and black

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

Many owners, one palace

A talking palace

The wall comes to life

A prominent church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Maiolica of the staircase

The disastrous earthquake

Feast days

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The chocolate of Modica

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Some prestigious works

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

A half-Baroque church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Prominent façade

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

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

A new site for a new church

A miniature city

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The theatre of taste

The internal colours

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A new palace for the La Rocca lords