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.

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

Feast days

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

The colours of the cathedral

A miniature city

The two churches

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

An eagle-shaped city

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

Some masterpieces

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Connections with other UNESCO sites

New roads for Catania

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A prominent church

A majestic and luminous church

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

A city in colour

A new site for a new city

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

Between white and black

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, three sites

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Wonderful quick decorations

The internal colours

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

Discovering the mother church

The city of museums

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

A triumph of colour

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A half-Baroque church

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Some prestigious works

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The Burgos crucifix

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

A long reconstruction

The chocolate of Modica

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

The church of Carmine

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A small room with a golden entrance

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Prominent façade

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

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

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A colourful floor

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The Maiolica of the staircase

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A talking palace

Two illustrious patron saints

A hall for the feasts

The Staircase of Angels

A museum to save a tradition

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A symbol for the town

A new site for a new church

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

One city, two sites

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The disastrous earthquake

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century