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.

Norman apses

A long reconstruction

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The chocolate of Modica

The theatre of taste

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The interior and its masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The internal colours

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Prominent façade

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

A miniature city

A small room with a golden entrance

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A majestic and luminous church

Discovering the mother church

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The Burgos crucifix

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Feast days

A talking palace

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

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

A half-Baroque church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Wonderful quick decorations

Feasting in Palazzolo

A feast only for Scicli

The two churches

A colourful floor

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Baroque town by the sea

A hall for the feasts

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A triumph of colour

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Some masterpieces

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

From International Gothic to present day

A museum to save a tradition

Two illustrious patron saints

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Maiolica of the staircase

The city of museums

A new site for a new city

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

An eagle-shaped city

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The church of Carmine

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

A square as the heart of the city

One city, three sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A symbol for the town

Between white and black

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

The disastrous earthquake

The Staircase of Angels

The colours of the cathedral

Many owners, one palace

A prominent church

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

New roads for Catania

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

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

A city in colour