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 city of museums

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

Some prestigious works

A talking palace

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Baroque town by the sea

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Feast days

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

One city, two sites

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

An eagle-shaped city

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

A feast only for Scicli

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

Many owners, one palace

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

A symbol for the town

The disastrous earthquake

Two illustrious patron saints

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A half-Baroque church

A colourful floor

A small room with a golden entrance

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

A Nobel Prize in Modica

A long reconstruction

The theatre of taste

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

A majestic and luminous church

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

A triumph of colour

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

A city in colour

A square as the heart of the city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

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

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A museum to save a tradition

Discovering the mother church

A hall for the feasts

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The internal colours

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

One city, three sites

Feasting in Palazzolo

The Maiolica of the staircase

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

St. Sebastian, so much work!

Searching for colour

The wall comes to life

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

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

Norman apses

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

A miniature city

The two churches

The church of Carmine

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

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

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

A prominent church

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

The chocolate of Modica

The Staircase of Angels

From International Gothic to present day

The interior and its masterpieces

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Prominent façade

A new site for a new city