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 hall for the feasts

Searching for colour

Many owners, one palace

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

New roads for Catania

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Wonderful quick decorations

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Norman apses

A colourful floor

The internal colours

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Feast days

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The chocolate of Modica

The Burgos crucifix

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

The theatre of taste

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A museum to save a tradition

A new site for a new city

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

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

A feast only for Scicli

The colours of the cathedral

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A small room with a golden entrance

The Staircase of Angels

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

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

The Baroque town by the sea

A symbol for the town

One city, two sites

The two churches

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

Between white and black

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A prominent church

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A talking palace

Some masterpieces

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A city in colour

A half-Baroque church

A triumph of colour

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

One city, three sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

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

An eagle-shaped city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A long reconstruction

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

A miniature city

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new church

The interior and its masterpieces