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 Nicolaci

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

The disastrous earthquake

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

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Some masterpieces

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A new site for a new city

A hall for the feasts

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

An eagle-shaped city

The internal colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

Between white and black

The façade used as a puppet theatre

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

New roads for Catania

The interior and its masterpieces

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Discovering the mother church

A half-Baroque church

A majestic and luminous church

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Some prestigious works

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Baroque town by the sea

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Maiolica of the staircase

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The two churches

A square as the heart of the city

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A colourful floor

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Searching for colour

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

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

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The church of Carmine

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A city in colour

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

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

Many owners, one palace

Prominent façade

From International Gothic to present day

A feast only for Scicli

The Burgos crucifix

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A long reconstruction

Wonderful quick decorations

The wall comes to life

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

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

The theatre of taste

The city of museums

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Limestone, the colour of harmony

One city, two sites

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A triumph of colour

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A museum to save a tradition

Modica, a city with ancient origins

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

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

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

One city, three sites

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Two illustrious patron saints

A small room with a golden entrance

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feast days

The Staircase of Angels

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