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.

Prominent façade

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Between white and black

One city, two sites

Searching for colour

A prominent church

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

Two illustrious patron saints

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

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The two churches

A new site for a new church

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

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

The colours of the cathedral

Some prestigious works

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A Nobel Prize in Modica

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

From International Gothic to present day

Wonderful quick decorations

The disastrous earthquake

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The theatre of taste

A new site for a new city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A colourful floor

The city of museums

A hall for the feasts

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

A long reconstruction

Feast days

A small room with a golden entrance

The interior and its masterpieces

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A miniature city

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Norman apses

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A square as the heart of the city

Feasting in Palazzolo

The wall comes to life

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

One city, three sites

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The internal colours

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

A city in colour

New roads for Catania

A symbol for the town

A half-Baroque church

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

The Staircase of Angels

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Some masterpieces

An eagle-shaped city

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The chocolate of Modica

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Many owners, one palace

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

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The Baroque town by the sea

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The Maiolica of the staircase

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A feast only for Scicli

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours