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 senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A majestic and luminous church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Two illustrious patron saints

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A symbol for the town

The colours of the cathedral

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From International Gothic to present day

A long reconstruction

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Some masterpieces

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A hall for the feasts

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

A feast only for Scicli

Wonderful quick decorations

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Staircase of Angels

The chocolate of Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

New roads for Catania

A new site for a new city

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A miniature city

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

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

A square as the heart of the city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Between white and black

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

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A half-Baroque church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A prominent church

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

The church of Carmine

The wall comes to life

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new site for a new church

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

The city of museums

An eagle-shaped city

Prominent façade

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Feast days

A triumph of colour

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

One city, three sites

A talking palace

The internal colours

The two churches

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

The disastrous earthquake

The interior and its masterpieces

One city, two sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

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

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

Searching for colour

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The Burgos crucifix

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