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 the story of the church of Santa Maria del Carmelo

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Discovering the mother church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

A half-Baroque church

The Baroque town by the sea

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A triumph of colour

Some prestigious works

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A majestic and luminous church

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

A small room with a golden entrance

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

A colourful floor

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

New roads for Catania

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A city in colour

The city of museums

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A prominent church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

Feasting in Palazzolo

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Feast days

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A feast only for Scicli

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A new site for a new church

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

An eagle-shaped city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

A hall for the feasts

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

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

The internal colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The colours of the cathedral

The two churches

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Some masterpieces

The theatre of taste

The Burgos crucifix

From International Gothic to present day

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

One city, two sites

One city, three sites

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

A symbol for the town

A square as the heart of the city

The wall comes to life

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Searching for colour

A talking palace

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

Wonderful quick decorations

A museum to save a tradition