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 kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The Staircase of Angels

New roads for Catania

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

One city, three sites

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Searching for colour

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

A miniature city

A half-Baroque church

A city in colour

The theatre of taste

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

The disastrous earthquake

The city of museums

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

Between white and black

The two churches

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

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

Some masterpieces

A long reconstruction

An eagle-shaped city

Two illustrious patron saints

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A square as the heart of the city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

A new site for a new church

Discovering the mother church

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Many owners, one palace

Wonderful quick decorations

A triumph of colour

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Norman apses

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

A feast only for Scicli

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

From International Gothic to present day

A colourful floor

Connections with other UNESCO sites

A museum to save a tradition

A hall for the feasts

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

The colours of the cathedral

The Maiolica of the staircase

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A majestic and luminous church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

A prominent church

A symbol for the town

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

One city, two sites

The Burgos crucifix

The church of Carmine

The Baroque town by the sea

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The chocolate of Modica

Limestone, the colour of harmony

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Feasting in Palazzolo

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

The interior and its masterpieces

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A small room with a golden entrance

The internal colours

Some prestigious works

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

Prominent façade

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

Feast days

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

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

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town