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.

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The internal colours

A majestic and luminous church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Norman apses

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

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

Searching for colour

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A city in colour

A triumph of colour

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The two churches

The chocolate of Modica

Many owners, one palace

The Staircase of Angels

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

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

A hall for the feasts

A museum to save a tradition

New roads for Catania

The city of museums

Limestone, the colour of harmony

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

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

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The Baroque town by the sea

A small room with a golden entrance

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

Wonderful quick decorations

Discovering the mother church

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The wall comes to life

Two illustrious patron saints

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

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

A long reconstruction

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

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

Some masterpieces

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The church of Carmine

A colourful floor

A talking palace

Feast days

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

Some prestigious works

A new site for a new city

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

The senses tell the story of the Church of the Annunciation

The Burgos crucifix

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

Prominent façade

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A miniature city

A symbol for the town

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

Modica, a city with ancient origins

The colours of the cathedral

A half-Baroque church

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

A feast only for Scicli

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

St. Sebastian, so much work!

The Maiolica of the staircase

The theatre of taste

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

An eagle-shaped city

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

One city, three sites

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

From International Gothic to present day

A new site for a new church

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A prominent church

A square as the heart of the city

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

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

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

The interior and its masterpieces

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

One city, two sites