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 senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

A miniature city

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Searching for colour

Feast days

Prominent façade

The internal colours

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

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

Between white and black

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

A city in colour

The interior and its masterpieces

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

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

A triumph of colour

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Many owners, one palace

One city, three sites

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Feasting in Palazzolo

A colourful floor

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

One city, two sites

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

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

A new site for a new city

A majestic and luminous church

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The façade used as a puppet theatre

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

The colours of the cathedral

A new site for a new church

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

Some masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

Discovering the mother church

Wonderful quick decorations

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The chocolate of Modica

A symbol for the town

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

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

The Burgos crucifix

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

Norman apses

A Nobel Prize in Modica

The Baroque town by the sea

New roads for Catania

The Staircase of Angels

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

Some prestigious works

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

A small room with a golden entrance

The Maiolica of the staircase

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A talking palace

A long reconstruction

A square as the heart of the city

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

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The theatre of taste

A feast only for Scicli

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A hall for the feasts

The city of museums

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

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

The church of Carmine

An eagle-shaped city

The wall comes to life

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

Two illustrious patron saints

From International Gothic to present day

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A museum to save a tradition

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The disastrous earthquake

A half-Baroque church

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

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers