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.

Between white and black

The theatre of taste

From International Gothic to present day

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

The two churches

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A triumph of colour

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Searching for colour

A museum to save a tradition

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The internal colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The Staircase of Angels

A talking palace

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Prominent façade

The colours of the cathedral

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

New roads for Catania

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

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

Norman apses

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The church of Carmine

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The wall comes to life

A colourful floor

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

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

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A square as the heart of the city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

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

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

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A prominent church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The city of museums

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A miniature city

The façade used as a puppet theatre

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Some prestigious works

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A feast only for Scicli

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

A new site for a new church

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

An eagle-shaped city

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A half-Baroque church

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The Burgos crucifix

A long reconstruction

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A symbol for the town

Many owners, one palace

A city in colour

A small room with a golden entrance

One city, three sites

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The chocolate of Modica