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 the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

A new site for a new church

Wonderful quick decorations

A colourful floor

An eagle-shaped city

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

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

The church of Carmine

One city, two sites

Some masterpieces

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

A prominent church

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

Feast days

Connections with other UNESCO sites

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

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

The city of museums

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

The disastrous earthquake

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The Burgos crucifix

The colours of the cathedral

The Staircase of Angels

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

A triumph of colour

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

A half-Baroque church

A symbol for the town

The internal colours

The Maiolica of the staircase

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

The wall comes to life

A miniature city

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

A square as the heart of the city

Between white and black

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

New roads for Catania

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

A museum to save a tradition

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Searching for colour

One city, three sites

Some prestigious works

A feast only for Scicli

A talking palace

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

A long reconstruction

Discovering the mother church

The theatre of taste

Many owners, one palace

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

The Baroque town by the sea

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

The interior and its masterpieces

A small room with a golden entrance

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

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

A majestic and luminous church

A city in colour

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

Prominent façade

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The two churches

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

A hall for the feasts

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

Two illustrious patron saints

Limestone, the colour of harmony

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

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new site for a new city

St. Sebastian, so much work!

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

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

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

From International Gothic to present day

Feasting in Palazzolo

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Norman apses

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

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

The chocolate of Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century