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 character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The church of Carmine

Prominent façade

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

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Between white and black

The colours of the cathedral

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

A square as the heart of the city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A small room with a golden entrance

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A city in colour

The chocolate of Modica

A prominent church

Wonderful quick decorations

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Searching for colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

One city, three sites

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

A symbol for the town

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Feast days

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

One city, two sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A triumph of colour

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A Nobel Prize in Modica

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

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

A new site for a new church

The two churches

A new site for a new city

Many owners, one palace

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The internal colours

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

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

The city of museums

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A hall for the feasts

Two illustrious patron saints

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From International Gothic to present day

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

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

Norman apses

The interior and its masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

New roads for Catania

The disastrous earthquake

A talking palace

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Limestone, the colour of harmony