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.

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Between white and black

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

New roads for Catania

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A long reconstruction

A prominent church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Two illustrious patron saints

The church of Carmine

A half-Baroque church

Some prestigious works

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A colourful floor

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A talking palace

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

The theatre of taste

A symbol for the town

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

One city, two sites

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

The disastrous earthquake

Wonderful quick decorations

A small room with a golden entrance

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

A triumph of colour

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The city of museums

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

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

An eagle-shaped city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A hall for the feasts

A miniature city

Norman apses

A new site for a new church

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A museum to save a tradition

The Baroque town by the sea

Some masterpieces

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Prominent façade

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The internal colours

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new city

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Discovering the mother church

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Feasting in Palazzolo

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Maiolica of the staircase

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

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

The Burgos crucifix