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 San Benedetto

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

A miniature city

One city, three sites

A feast only for Scicli

An eagle-shaped city

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A museum to save a tradition

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

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

Some prestigious works

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A small room with a golden entrance

Many owners, one palace

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Feast days

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The wall comes to life

The Maiolica of the staircase

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A triumph of colour

A talking palace

A majestic and luminous church

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

The two churches

A new site for a new church

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A hall for the feasts

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

Some masterpieces

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Two illustrious patron saints

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

The colours of the cathedral

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

One city, two sites

New roads for Catania

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

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

From International Gothic to present day

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The church of Carmine

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Discovering the mother church

A square as the heart of the city

Norman apses

The chocolate of Modica

The interior and its masterpieces

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Prominent façade

Feasting in Palazzolo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The theatre of taste

A long reconstruction

Connections with other UNESCO sites

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

A city in colour

A prominent church

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

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

The façade used as a puppet theatre

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The Burgos crucifix

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The internal colours

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town