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 the Annunciation

The Baroque town by the sea

The colours of the cathedral

San Benedetto: a treasure reopened to the public

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

A prominent church

A Nobel Prize in Modica

Baroque and the loss of equilibrium in the 16th century

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Sebastiano

The Infiorata, a feast of colours and flowers

New roads for Catania

Some masterpieces

The internal colours

A hall for the feasts

A colourful floor

The senses tell the Cathedral of Sant’Agata

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

The cathedral of Sant’Agata: a lengthy reconstruction

A feast only for Scicli

A small room with a golden entrance

Garden of Novices and the restorations by Giancarlo De Carlo

Fontana della Ninfa Zizza, public water in the town

Palazzo Nicolaci di Villadorata, who is the architect?

Some prestigious works

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

Limestone, the colour of harmony

A talking palace

Corbels: a celebration of the Nicolaci family

A triumph of colour

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

The Burgos crucifix

A new site for a new city

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

Prominent façade

The senses tell the story of the Church of San Benedetto

Militello, the story of an enlightened fiefdom

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

A city in colour

The senses tell about Palazzo La Rocca

Feast days

From St. Thomas to St. Joseph

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

Discovering the mother church

Rosario Gagliardi, the maestro of the Val di Noto

St. Sebastian, so much work!

One city, two sites

The Barresi-Branciforte lords

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

The church of Carmine

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

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

The chocolate of Modica

Feasting in Palazzolo

Between white and black

San Nicolò l’Arena: an unfinished church

The senses tell the story of the church of San Giuseppe

The Staircase of Angels

Modica, a city with ancient origins

A new entrance for Santa Chiara (St. Claire)

Searching for colour

A new site for a new church

The Feast of San Giacomo (St. James)

The Supernatural dimension of the chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento

The kitchen, a treasure chest of colours

The senses tell the story of the Church of Santa Chiara

The interior and its masterpieces

Norman apses

Connections with other UNESCO sites

Places of knowledge: the Benedictines’ library

The wall comes to life

A square as the heart of the city

St. Agatha and the giant candelabras

The senses tell about Palazzo Napolino Tommasi Rosso

An eagle-shaped city

A half-Baroque church

A design by Vincenzo Sinatra

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

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

One city, three sites

The façade used as a puppet theatre

The city of museums

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

The senses tell about Palazzo Nicolaci

A museum to save a tradition

A new palace for the La Rocca lords

The two churches

Wonderful quick decorations

The Maiolica of the staircase

A symbol for the town

The theatre of taste

A miniature city

Two illustrious patron saints

A long reconstruction

The Benedictine Monastery, one of the largest in Europe

The character of Badia Sant’Agata

The disastrous earthquake

Many owners, one palace

From International Gothic to present day

A majestic and luminous church